


Rainy Night In Georgia

by BrownFoxx



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Daryl Dixon & Carol Peletier Friendship, Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier Smut, Daryl loves Carol, F/M, Friendship/Love, Lost Love, Love lost and found, POV Carol Peletier, POV Daryl Dixon, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 13:13:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12959961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrownFoxx/pseuds/BrownFoxx
Summary: High school sweethearts Daryl Dixon and Carol Greene are reunited after a long separation.  Will love bloom again after 16 long years apart and an unspoken secret finally revealed?An original TWD romantic tale... AU/No Zombies!PLEASE REVIEW & leave feedback!Enjoy!





	1. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a telephone call can change everything...

It was an overcast Friday afternoon in mid-summer. Atlanta, Georgia had heavy rain in the forecast for the entire weekend and although it hadn’t started coming down just yet, the sky was heavy with dark clouds, thunder rumbled in the distance and it was hot, humid and unbearably muggy outside. 

Despite the expected bad weather threatening to ruin everyone’s weekend plans, 34 year old auto mechanic Daryl Dixon was in a good mood. He had plans to leave work early that afternoon so that he could catch a quick nap and a hot shower before attending his good buddy and co-worker Theodore “T-Dog” Douglass’ bachelor party down at The Sanctuary, a popular bar & grill known for is strong drinks and good food. 

It wasn’t a “real” bachelor party per se, just the groom and all the guys in the wedding party getting together for dinner and drinks. Despite much teasing, T-Dog flat out REFUSED to let the guys throw him the debauched, drunken bash they really wanted to give him for fear that his church girl fiancé would kill him if she found out strippers were there (which there undoubtedly would be in abundance if Shane, Abe or any of their crazy friends had anything to do with it,) but he did agree to a night out drinking with the gang before the big day on Sunday afternoon.

Leaving work early however, had proven to be easier said than done for Daryl. All day long he’d been swamped with calls, sales and repair jobs at Dixon’s, his and his brother Merle’s full service garage and used vehicle lot.

Daryl’s goal that morning had been to leave by 2 o’clock at the latest; but they were short staffed that day and 2 quickly came and went. By 3 he was still quite busy and when he was finally ready to roll out an hour later, Tara, the shop’s receptionist and bookkeeper stopped him on his way out the door and let him know that he had a telephone call. 

“Who is it now?” he groaned with a frown on his handsome face. It was five minutes after four and he knew that if he left at that moment he’d still be ahead of the rush hour traffic. Although his dream of catching a nap before going out probably wasn’t going to happen, he could still get a shower and try to make it to the bar by 6:30 to catch the tail end of happy hour.

Tara shrugged. “It’s some lady… I think she said her name was Karen?”

“Tyreese’s wife Karen?” Tyreese was T-Dog's cousin and a good friend of Daryl's as well. 

“No, and now that I think about it, maybe she didn’t say Karen… it sounded more like Cara… Her voice is kinda soft; I couldn’t quite make it out with all the noise in here. Anyway, she’s been calling all day, I guess it’s important. I told her our showroom manager was out for the day so then she asked to speak with you directly so my guess is that she’s a sales rep from God knows where trying to sell auto parts or equipment insurance.”

“All of which we already have in abundance,” Daryl groaned. “Damnit! Can’t somebody else take the call? I‘m running late… I’m supposed to be meeting the guys for happy hour and I gotta get home so I can change,” he drawled in his strong South Georgia accent.

“Change? For what? Ya look damn good to me,” she flirted playfully with a wink, ignoring his oil smudged face, old work boots and stained khaki jumpsuit, in favor of checking out his awesome biceps and his handsome face partially shaded by the shaggy, chocolate brown mane almost hiding his ice blue eyes. 

He bit at his thumbnail. “I look good… yeah right,” he muttered. Although he clearly looked like he’d put in a hard day’s work, Daryl Dixon was model gorgeous but everyone seemed to know it except for him. 

Tara smirked. “I mean it boss… if I were straight, I’d definitely jump your bones… or at least let you get your lips wet,” she chuckled while wiggling her eyebrows. 

“Get the fuck outta here,” Daryl choked with laughter. In most work settings, her potty mouth would’ve been grounds for a sexual harassment lawsuit but not at Dixon’s. Tara had practically grown up in the shop; she’d been answering the phones since she was in high school, and had been there getting on everyone’s nerves ever since. She was about to start her last year at the university in the fall and the staff at the shop all treated her like she was their annoying little sister. And she really was only kidding while flirting with Daryl; she was head over heels in love with her girlfriend Denise, a new grad resident at Grady Hospital who’d brought her car in for repairs a few months prior and they’d been inseparable ever since. 

Daryl looked down at Tara with a smirk, “Like I was sayin’ brat, can’t my damn brother or maybe Axel take this call since Morgan’s out? 

“Merle’s in the showroom finishing up a sale and Axel is still working on that Harley.”

“Axel’s ass is slower than molasses in January. He’s been workin’ on the damn thing since lunchtime! All that Harley needed was breaks, calipers and an oil change! Look Tara can’t you just take a message for me and tell that broad that I’ll call her back on Monday?”

“Trust me I would have but she’s been really persistent.”

“Oh gawd… not one of those!” he frowned.

“No… she isn’t rude or anything, but this is like the third or fourth time she’s called and I promised her I‘d get you for her before you left for the day. I would’ve given you a heads up long before now but all morning you were in the garage and I’ve been so swamped with payroll and that I forgot to give you the message.”

Daryl shook his head in understanding. It had been a crazy day for all of the staff on duty. So crazy that they’d barely been able to squeeze in lunch breaks. Morgan, the showroom manager was out sick; T-Dog was off for the next two weeks for his upcoming wedding and honeymoon; Tobin, the shop’s electrician, had a morning doctor‘s appointment, and two of the mechanics, Heath and Aaron, were on vacation. Dixon’s staff was still rather small despite business growing by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years (earning them all awesome salaries since there were fewer staff members to split the profits with,) however it was an epic catastrophe when over half of the team were all out at once, especially on a Friday or Saturday. 

“Sorry boss,” Tara continued. “I know you wanted to get outta here early today.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he said playfully flipping her the bird, (which she gleefully returned, with both hands,) before darting back upstairs to his office. He snatched the receiver off of the hook, “Dixon’s Autos, this is Daryl,” he barked in a no nonsense tone. He needed whomever this woman was to know in no uncertain terms that he had no time whatsoever for the sales pitch she was likely about to give him. The Sanctuary had a hot wings sampler platter and a pitcher of ice cold beer with his name on it and he couldn’t wait to get to it!

“Hi Daryl… this is Carol,” the woman nearly whispered in a nervous sounding voice with a deep southern accent. “I’m so sorry to disturb you so late in the day but your receptionist said you were busy when I called earlier. I just got back into town two weeks ago and I’ve been trying to get the nerve up to get in touch with you since then and just this morning I got your number so I decided to just take a chance and call,” she said in a small voice. 

Daryl was in such a hurry to get off the phone that he’d barely heard a word she’d said. Her voice didn’t ring a bell and her ’mousy,’ nervous demeanor was annoying, especially since she had yet to state her business and he was in such a rush to get the hell out of there. He glanced up at the clock on the wall impatiently. “Well you’ve got me,” he barked with no emotion. “What can I do for ya, lady? Time is money.”

“I can hardly believe it’s really you… it’s so good… to hear your voice after all this time,” she hesitatingly replied. 

“What’d ya say yer name was again?”

“Carol.”

“Look sweetheart, yer name ain’t ringin’ any bells and ya still haven’t told me what you want. Are ya sellin’ something’ or what?”

“No, of course not,” she then replied quietly, the wind clearly knocked out of her sails by his abrupt manner.

Daryl sighed. “Okayyy… then I’m guessing you need some work done on your car and somebody referred you to me specifically?”

“Oh no, my car’s practically brand new. I got a 2015 Acura coupe.”

“Awww that’s nice. Are you interested in buying a used bike as well perhaps? I sell them ya know,” he then added in a sarcastic huff.

“Hell no, Daryl!" she chuckled. "I’ll ride a horse bareback but you know damn well I’m scared shitless of motorcycles, unless you’re the one driving it!"

“How could I know that lady? You said you aren’t selling anything so I can only presume that you’re a prospective customer.”

“I’m not a customer, prospective or otherwise!” she replied.

“Then just who the hell are ya?” he nearly growled. “I feel like I’m pullin’ teeth just to get any info outta ya… we’ve been on the phone damn near five minutes and I’m still at first base!”

“I’m sorry,” she nearly whispered.

She sounded so crestfallen that he felt ashamed of himself and felt he at least owed her an explanation. “Look miss I didn’t mean to sound so harsh but I was on my way out the door when I was asked to take your call. Please state yer' business. And what’d ya say yer name was again?”

“Daryl, wow… I thought you’d recognize my voice. It’s me, Carol.” He was silent so she further clarified her identity. “Carol... as in Carolina Greene-Peletier... well, just Greene. Sorry… I’m still getting used to saying that again,” she then added sheepishly. 

His jaw dropped and he damn near dropped the phone as well. “Carol? Greene,” he gasped, damn near choking on the wad of chewing gum in his mouth. ‘How in the hell didn’t ya recognize her voice ya moron?‘ he thought to himself angrily. 


	2. Reflections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl reflects on the past...

Carolina Greene-Peletier (well… just Greene) aka Carol had been Daryl’s first love. Her parents had sadly passed away in an accident when she was small and she’d been adopted by her dad’s elder brother, Hershel Greene, a well to do veterinarian and horse breeder in King County, Georgia. Hershel and his wife Annette raised Carol along with their own children, and treated her like their very own daughter. Hershel was very overprotective of his niece, particularly since she was set to receive a multi-million dollar insurance annuity from her deceased parents’ estate’s insurance policy when she turned 18. 

When Carol started dating Daryl, her uncle Hershel wasn’t happy about it… at all. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Daryl; Hershel knew that he was a good kid because he’d been working for him as a farm hand every summer since he was about 15 or so, lodging in the seasonal staff bunk house and earning his keep by helping the vet techs at the clinic on the property, feeding and grooming the horses, walking and feeding the purebred and ‘designer’ mix breed dogs for sale and cutting grass on the ranch or doing whatever else was needed. Hershel felt sorry for the boy and paid him double the going pay rate for seasonal workers, as well as gave him free room and board in the summers because he’d known Daryl’s father Earle back in the day and knew that the boy would have had to hand over most of his earnings to him every time he got paid if he were at home. Hershel could only imagine the kind of upbringing the poor kid had and what he had to deal with for the rest of the year while he lived at home. 

When Hershel Greene was in veterinarian school, he liked to hang out on the weekends and drink at the bars in town near the university. It was there that he fell into company with Earle Dixon, a local back alley brawler who was built like a brick wall and highly feared for his hair trigger temper. Earle was cocky and reckless and a mean, headstrong drunk, as well as a crooked gambler who also dabbled in drug dealing and prostitution. In those days he was notorious for his criminal activity in the area, and was known to be a high ranking member of The Wolves, a violent local motorcycle gang. Earle frequented the seediest of bars and houses of ill repute in town, and not to mention the state penitentiary on more than one occasion. In later years, his oldest son Merle was his spitting image in both looks as well as in temperament but fortunately for Merle, a stint in juvenile detention straightened him out and he got himself together and after graduating high school, he spent a few years in the military before opening his bike garage with his cousin Axel and later his younger brother Daryl.

Hershel liked his drink and he even dabbled in a few illegal card games at the local bars on occasion but when he saw how hanging with Earle Dixon’s crowd might ruin his future, he steered clear of him and focused on his career. He later turned his father‘s small horse farm into a highly profitable veterinarian & breeding business. 

Earle Dixon on the other hand fell into alcohol addiction and ended up dirt poor in a segregated, backwoods trailer park, frequently shacked up with different women and in Hershel’s eyes the son of a man like that had no business dating his niece, no matter how good of a kid he was. He figured that 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' and that Daryl may have only been after Carol for her money, and therefore he vehemently opposed them dating on threat of Daryl losing his job. 

They pretended that they were just friends so that Hershel would back off and it worked. They dated in secret for over a year, and just after they graduated high school, he proposed. Carol accepted his ring and promised him that when she turned 18 at the end of the year she’d be financially independent and they could be together regardless of what her uncle said and it was only a matter of time until they could be together out in the open. They both planned to attend Woodbury College in the fall; Daryl for their Mechanical Engineering program and Carol for Nursing.

Daryl knew firsthand that Carol’s family was loaded but he didn’t care one bit about their money. He just liked Carol since the day he met her because she was so sweet and beautiful and was always nice to him whenever they interacted, and she NEVER, EVER treated him like he was ‘the help.’ She sometimes worked at the vet clinic’s front counter while he groomed the dogs in the back, and he watched her a lot before finally getting up the courage to ask her out. The more time they spent however, the more he grew to love her deeply and he wanted to be with her forever. He could talk to Carol about anything and the longer they dated, it was getting harder and harder to resist kissing and touching her whenever she was anywhere near him and he soon found out that she felt exactly the same way. 

They started getting serious even though Hershel had already made it quite obvious that he disapproved of them dating and did everything in his power to convince Carol to go out with Ed Peletier, the son of one of his business associates, Antoine Peletier, the owner of the local racetrack. Peletier’s Racetrack was the biggest in the tri state area and as such, Ed's father and Hershel had a big common interest since Hershel bred and sold the finest horses in the county. Hershel knew that Ed wasn’t after Carol‘s money because he had plenty of his own and he encouraged the match. It was obvious that Ed was crazy about Carol so Hershel began inviting Ed to the house for supper on the weekends and encouraged Carol to go out with him. He even talked her into taking Ed to her senior prom, as well as to attend his, much to her disappointment because she‘d fully planned on inviting Daryl instead. They all attended different schools so fortunately a couple of weeks later she got to attend Daryl’s school’s prom (in secret, of course,) by lying and saying she‘d be spending the night at her friend Lori's house in the city. 

Daryl was insanely jealous about Ed going to Carol’s prom and taking her on dates to places he couldn’t afford and especially pissed about Carol having to go to his prom at his fancy boarding school in a neighboring county against her will, but he had to hide his feelings about it when he returned to work at the ranch the summer right after they'd both graduated. He'd made Carol promise to let him know if Ed ever tried anything or hurt her in any way and Carol insisted that he hadn't but deep down Daryl wasn’t quite so sure. Ed seemed like an asshole but Carol had sworn to Daryl that she only tolerated Ed so that her uncle would back off and not think about the two of them being more than friends and surprisingly it worked... initially. Carol told Daryl that she loved him and would find a way for them to be together despite her uncle’s interference, but a few months later she ended up breaking Daryl’s heart by abruptly breaking off their secret engagement, and never fully explained why. She abruptly withdrew her enrollment at Woodbury where she was enrolled with Daryl, and left town to attend college at the University of Alabama, not surprisingly where Ed Peletier had been recruited to play on the football team. Daryl was devastated but was warned by Hershel to forget about his niece or he’d ruin his future. He’d happened to see his and Carol’s prom picture in her bedroom one day and was livid that she‘d disobeyed him and was still dating Daryl. Daryl was intimidated because Hershel was the wealthiest man in the county and could easily ruin his future plans if he stayed in the area, which he had to do at least initially because his family was dirt poor and couldn’t send him away to college out of state. Although he loved Carol deeply he didn’t pursue her further since she'd made it crystal clear that she no longer was interested in marrying him anyway. He was crushed, and since being fired from his job at Greene's Farm he got a work-study job on campus to pay his way through school, and after getting his engineering degree, went into business with his older brother Merle and their cousin Axel at their garage. He later heard through the grapevine that Carol had married Ed not long after she left town which deeply saddened him further and he hadn’t spoken to her since. 

16 years had passed. Within that time Daryl’s heart had eventually healed of course and he dated several other local women; he was tall and handsome, well built and had that ‘strong, silent type’ demeanor most women went crazy over, and on top of everything else he was soon making a considerable amount of money. He’d gotten married a few years back (and not long after, divorced,) but no one had EVER made him feel the way that his sweet Carol once had. He’d long since forgiven her for their break up; he knew they were probably much too young for their love to have lasted anyway but he always secretly wondered how their lives would have turned out if she hadn’t left him and married that Ed Peletier prick. It was beyond surprising to hear her voice after all that time, and he sat on the edge of his desk, quite dumbfounded on the other end of the line for several moments.

Finally, his silence prompted Carol to go on; she thought his lack of a reply was an indication that he either still hated her guts for dumping him so cruelly all those years before without a real explanation, or that he’d totally forgotten who she was. Both prospects hurt her deeply and she wasn’t sure which was worse because of how close they’d once been. It was bad enough that she’d been petrified to call in the first place and had used every ounce of courage she had to reach out to him that morning and just hearing his voice had reminded her deep down of just how much she’d missed him after all those years. 

“Yes, Carol Greene,” she repeated, trying to mask her deep disappointment, “from Greene’s horse ranch in King County. You worked there when we were teenagers. I’ve got blue eyes and long red hair… well it’s all turned gray and cut short now, but I still look the same otherwise… save a couple of laugh lines and a few extra pounds here and there,” she chuckled. “I’ve got a tiny dolphin tattoo on my right ankle… you went with me when I got that tat, remember? That same afternoon you got your grandpa Norman’s name tattooed on your chest after I talked you out of getting my name,” she giggled before going on. “You took me to your senior prom,” she then added softly, as heated memories of them finally making love that night flooded her mind. “I’m hope you remember me now, Daryl… I certainly never forgot you.” Silence greeted her again and her heart sank even further. “Daryl, are you still there?” A few seconds too long then passed and she almost thought he‘d hung up on her when he finally coughed a little. 

“Uhhh… yeah, I’m here,” he finally replied with another cough before clearing his throat and gulping down some air. He‘d been holding his breath all that time and hadn’t even realized it.

“You do remember me, don’t you?” she asked, sounding even more timid than she had initially if that were possible. It was painfully obvious that he didn’t and she was taken aback by it. They’d shared so much and had been so deeply in love once, or so she thought. It was KILLING her to know that he’d wiped her completely from his memory, and that it had been all her fault that they‘d broken up... (well, not all her fault...)

He finally spoke up. “’Course I remember you Carol,” he murmured. How could he forget all the nights she’d snuck out of the house and he’d taken her to the midnight movies, or to the Hilltop, a popular bowling alley & roller rink in Atlanta, or when he'd take her for long rides on his bike way out in the countryside to park at Senoia Lake or Terminus Woods and once there they’d sit and talk for hours then kiss and make out until they were breathless and have to literally force themselves to pull apart to make it back before they were both missed in the morning. Other nights, she’d sneak out and they’d lay cuddled up in his room in the bunkhouse or up in the hayloft of one of her uncle’s barns, feverishly making out until the wee hours of the morning. How could he forget finally making love to her on the night of his senior prom and again after he’d blown his entire life savings on a ring for her and proposed to her one night over a romantic dinner at Dale Horvath’s Steak House. And how could he ever forget how happy he’d felt when she’d accepted his ring and given him the promise of taking his name; then how depressed he’d then felt after she told him a few months later that she’d made a big mistake and that she couldn’t marry him and after returning the ring, informed him that she was leaving town and no amount of talking her out of it would work. How in the hell could he ever forget the sad, haunted look on her face that night despite her cruel words, and the pain he’d felt after she was gone. He couldn’t believe how it all came back to him like a sledgehammer through his heart, but it had and he had to play it off. They were both silent a moment longer and he struggled to find his voice before finally going on.

“Carol… wow… it’s been a really long time. And I’m sorry I was so rude before, I didn’t mean to snap at you so abruptly like that, it’s just that I was in a really big hurry to get the hell outta here early today because we’ve been short staffed all week and it’s been hectic and crazy around here and I have plans for later on. Trust me I’m not usually that mean to my customers,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “I thought you were some telemarketer or something.”

“It’s no problem,” she replied. “Believe me, I’ve been spoken to much worse than that… and I feel like it’s all my fault for waiting to call you at the end of your work day. I really didn’t mean to impose.”

“It’s no imposition at all… like I said it’s good to hear from you. It’s been what, fifteen, sixteen years now?” 

“Sixteen, going on seventeen.”

“Wow. So… what brings you back to town?” he asked, hiding his sudden change of emotion.

“I guess you haven’t heard. Uncle Hershel finally retired. He and Aunt Annette moved down to her hometown in Florida, and they left my cousins and I the family business. Maggie ended up going to veterinarian school and she and her husband Glenn, also a vet, opened a second Greene’s Vet office in Atlanta which is also doing really well. Shawn graduated from South Carolina A&M with a degree in Agricultural Science specializing in Animal Husbandry and has taken over the breeding and stud services at the ranch, specializing in show dogs and race horses. Beth on the other hand is acting in LA now and has absolutely no interest in the family business whatsoever, unless it has to do with her share of the profits of course,” she chuckled. 

Daryl chuckled to himself as well. Thinking back he remembered Beth as being a precocious, ’girly girl’ with long ponytails, glitter nail polish, lip gloss and frilly dresses; much too ‘prissy’ for farm life, especially when compared to Maggie and Carol who were both tomboys until their late teens.

“And what about you?” he then asked. “You and your husband (he nearly choked on the word,) planning on helping out at the ranch?”

“No. I’m divorced Daryl. Close to a year now.”

“Ed right?”

“Mm hmm.”

“Sorry to hear that,” he said with a smirk. Daryl remembered Ed Peletier quite well from the few times he‘d had to interact with him when he’d been invited by Hershel Green to visit Carol at the horse ranch. He‘d had to hide his feelings for her whenever the prick came around and it was pure torture, especially when he saw how Ed looked at Carol like she was a piece of meat he wanted to devour and overheard his attempts at flirting that could only be labeled as sexual harassment. Daryl thought that Ed was an arrogant prick, and he couldn’t believe that Carol had actually married the asshole, but he knew he had to at least try to be polite. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Carol replied quickly. “It was for the best, trust me.”

“So how long are you gonna be in town?”

“I’ve moved back… for good. I’ve been helping Maggie run the new vet office in Atlanta a couple days a week until I find something full time at one of the hospitals in town.”

“So you followed your dream… you became a nurse?” he asked with a smile.

“Yep… but believe it or not, I just got my LPN license a few months ago.”

“LPN? That’s great! But I always thought that when ya went away you'd decided on getting your RN at the university out in Alabama.”

“That was my plan… but things don’t always work out the way we think they will, Daryl.” 

‘You can say that again,’ Daryl thought to himself but didn’t dare utter aloud.

Carol went on. “It’s a long story. I bit off a bit more than I could chew... in more ways than one. I had to drop out of school during my second semester at Alabama State… a lot was going on in my life at that time... but I made the decision to try again last year when I got separated and I recently passed my program this past May with flying colors. It’s not the RN I initially wanted years ago, but its’ still one hell of an accomplishment. I’m still a licensed nurse and the pay isn’t bad at all, especially with my trust fund money and alimony to cushion my income. Most importantly I now know how to patch hurt people up and take care of myself too which was my main goal. Maybe I’ll go back to school someday and finish my RN. But for now I’m content as an LPN.”

“Well congratulations are in order. Im so proud of you Carol. I always knew you could do it! So... where are ya staying… if ya don’t mind me asking.”

“Believe it or not I’m staying in the bunkhouse out at the ranch temporarily and just commute every day to the new clinic. It’s a thirty minute drive each way but since I know I’m staying in the area for good I’m looking at apartments in Atlanta. If it were up to me I would’ve simply moved back into the farm house but Shawn and his wife live there now and I didn’t want to crowd them.”

“Crowd? That house has six big bedrooms!”

“Yes it does but Shawn and his wife have six big kids! Not to mention the dogs, and heaven only knows how many other critters they’ve got roaming around in there,” she laughed. “But it’s ok. I’ve visited a few complexes I like in Atlanta, I just need to pick one with a gym and a pool, and enough space for a dog. Shawn recently gave my daughter a puppy from the new litter of Yorkshire Terriers and she loves the little thing to pieces. I’ve got until she starts school to move. She’s gonna be attending Alexandria Prep in the city but I want her to spend the summer out here at the ranch to at least get some of the experience I had growing up. All she knows is city life; we’ve lived in Birmingham, Biloxi, New Orleans, Tallahassee, Miami Beach, Orlando, then Dallas and finally back to Birmingham for the last two years her father and I were married. Ed had business all over the south with the casinos and racetracks so we moved around a lot.” 

Daryl frowned. He couldn’t care less about that asshole Ed or his businesses and he couldn’t imagine Carol being happy getting dragged around from place to place like that. She was a country girl at heart and had lived on her uncle’s horse ranch for most of her life before her marriage. He changed the subject however, he couldn’t risk letting how much he still despised Ed slip. “You’ve got a daughter, Carol? That’s great! What’s her name?

“Sophia,” she said proudly.

“I bet she’s awful pretty, just like her mama,” he murmured.

Carol blushed deeply. It had been a very long time since a man had told her that; so long she barely knew how to reply to his kind words. “Uhh… thanks Daryl, I guess, but Sophia is much, much prettier than me… Ed always said so. He called her ‘beauty pageant pretty,” and said she got her looks from his side of the family. According to him, I ‘pale in comparison’ with her,” she chuckled proudly yet with a tinge of embarrassment and Daryl sensed some deep rooted pain from her former husband’s callous words. 

She went on quickly as if she wanted to change the subject. “Sophia's only 16 but will be starting 12th grade in September because she got skipped. Can you imagine that? She’s so smart and sweet, Daryl. I just bought her her first car. And I’m not exaggerating about how pretty she is. She‘s tall, not a ‘runt’ like me, Ed used to say. She's 5'8, with long, wavy blonde hair, all the way down to her waist and beautiful, gray eyes just like her father‘s. Unfortunately when she tans she freckles like I do and her legs are kinda curvy like mine, but, thankfully much longer. Surprisingly she said all the boys at her old school always complimented her on them, but she didn't pay them much mind... she's always been focused on the books. That‘s my baby,” she added proudly. 

“Nothin’ wrong with yer freckles. They were cute. And you had great legs, Carol. If I don’t remember anything else I’ll never forget those gams of yours,” he chuckled. 

“It’s funny you say that because Ed always said my calves and ankles were too thick, no matter how much weight I lost. He teased me so bad about them that for a long time I stopped wearing dresses and skirts,” she muttered with a chuckle to hide her pain over his cruel bashing of her self-esteem. 

“What the hell does he know?” Daryl exclaimed. “Ya roller skated every weekend and rode horses every damn day… What in the hell did he expect, that your legs would be bony? They were built outta this world, and I bet they still are... They looked damn good to me… especially in skirts and dresses and definitely in those high heels ya liked to wear sometimes! Drove me nuts whenever you’d paint yer toes and wear those sexy heels,” he added. “Ya still got that silver pair ya wore to my prom?” he chuckled.

“I can’t believe you remember those shoes. That was so long ago. According to my ex-husband I’m much too old to wear shoes like that now,” she then added in a low voice. 

‘You’re not even 34 yet!” Daryl exclaimed! 

"I know... but Im not what you call a spring chicken either. My child will be going off to college next year! Wouldn't I look ridiculous if I try to dress like she does, in short skirts and high heels? Not to mention, I dont have the figure I once had. My hips have spread and Ed always said..."

"Save your breath, Sweetheart. I can only imagine what old Ed had to say," he cut her off abruptly. He could sense the sadness in her repeated self-depreciation and it caused a deep frown to settle over his features. ‘It’s a good thing that fucker is out of the picture,' Daryl thought to himself. He was already beyond tired of hearing about Ed and his ass backward, negative opinions about her face, body and wardrobe and he had a feeling there was something else that Carol wasn’t revealing about her asshole of an ex. He wondered what else that prick had told her, or worse yet, done to her over the years to chip away at her self-esteem and her once strong and confident spirit. This new Carol sounded like a shell of her former self. It made Daryl wonder if he'd been abusing her physically as well as the obvious verbal and emotional abuse hed inflicted.

“Do you have any kids of your own now, Daryl?” Carol then asked, immediately changing the subject. 

“Nope… wasn’t blessed with none, unfortunately.” 

“What? Not even one?”

“No ma’am.”

“I just knew you’d probably had half a dozen kids by now! You were the most handsome boy in the county! I bet you’re married though, right?”

“Nope… happily divorced,” he muttered. 

“No way! When?”

"Bout five years ago.”

“Well I’m sure you’ve got a girlfriend or two... or five!” she chuckled. “I just know the ladies are knocking your door down.”

He sucked his teeth. “Hmph. No ma’am they ain't; ain’t in no relationship at the moment. But if I did have a girl, she’d be my one and only. I’m a one woman man, Carol. You should know that better than anybody.”

“I know, Daryl… I was just kidding around. I just find it hard to believe that you aren’t in a relationship. You’re a good man.” She swallowed. She knew firsthand the kind of man he was; the total opposite of her ex-husband, Ed, who’d always been a bit of an asshole but over time he only got worse, slowly turning into a monster. He become verbally and then physically abusive toward her over the years, as well as a habitual cheater who'd slept around with half of the showgirls at his various casinos and a slew of other women then fathered two children outside of their marriage with his secretary before the ink was dry on their divorce papers. To add insult to injury he treated his second wife , Amber, (the slutty, former dancer turned secretary that he'd married) like a queen. Deep down Carol had known she blew it when she left Daryl and she wondered how she’d be able to come clean with everything that she wanted to tell him. Just then he broke her reverie, however.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong… it’s not like I’m lonely or anything, just single at the moment. Like I said, I was married a few years back. Took me a long while to get over her is all.”

“Did I know her?” Carol asked meekly.

He sighed. He didn't feel much like talking about Sheena, his ex-wife, but as always with Carol, it just started flowing. He couldn't hold back, even though years had come between them; she knew him better than anyone and he could always tell her anything. “No. You never met her. She wasn't from King County; I met her in Decatur. She was a waitress at a pool hall down there. Things were okay in the beginning… I mean we got along alright and her family liked me well enough, I guess. She was real good lookin’, nice body, good in bed and all that but it just wasn’t meant to be. She didn’t come from money but she had it in her mind to be some kinda pampered, spoiled housewife once we got hitched. She was one of those gold diggin broads, only I didn't know it 'til it was too late. She only married me because the garage was starting to make big money. As soon as we got married she quit her job; she was living in a fantasy world. We were doing well but we weren’t rich; I still ain't by the way, just comfortable; but she just didn’t seem to get that. She’d spend a thousand bucks on a designer purse like it was nothin’ and I lost count of how many goddamned pairs of shoes she had. Every time I turned around she was goin’ shoppin’ or making beauty shop appointments. And I admit it, I spoiled her a little… I bought her jewelry and furs and other shit from time to time to keep a smile on her face but it was never enough… she always wanted more. I make good money but I believe in saving and all she wanted to do was spend every dime I earned. I’m a simple man Carol. You know how I was raised. Don’t matter that I can afford it now; living in a big, fancy house with maids and shit just ain’t my cup of tea. We lived in a nice apartment in Woodbury when we first got hitched but before long she started buggin’ me for a house. She got it in her mind to move to Alpharetta of all places and wanted me to hire some ritzy contractors to model it after the plantation on Gone with the Wind… Tara 2 or some shit she kept calling the blueprints... can you believe that? I offered to buy her something already constructed right there in Woodbury or even in Atlanta proper if she liked; anywhere else was more reasonable price wise than Alpharetta… but that wasn’t good enough for her. She had her heart set on a million dollar mansion with a pool so she could brag to her girlfriends about it and throw a bunch of parties just to show off, and she bitched and moaned about it something awful. I didn’t want to spend that much on a new construction so I compromised by offering to buy her a house that was already built with the stipulation that she got to pick the neighborhood as long as it WAS NOT in Alpharetta, and she could hire an interior decorator as long as she stayed within our budget. We ended up in a 3,500 square foot, five bedroom, four bathroom, split level Colonial with a club basement, an Olympic sized pool, a tennis court and an in-law suite in Buckhead, and believe me when I say it cost a pretty penny. She went way over budget of course, maxing out our credit cards on decorating everything in white lacquer, marble and stainless steel but I didn’t complain too much because she seemed like she was finally happy. Happy wife, happy life as they say is my philosophy. And she was… for the time being. I of course thought the next course of action would be to start on filling that big house up with kids… but she quickly burst my bubble, informing me that she wasn’t getting off the pill. She didn’t want my babies. Told me she didnt wanna get knocked up anytime soon because it would ruin her figure and she wouldn't be able to flaunt her brand new designer wardrobe.” Daryl grew quiet as he reflected. He suddenly felt very sad that he and Carol had never gotten to have a family of their own. They’d both wanted 3 children and had talked of it often… but it just hadn’t been meant to be. He went on. “I compromised yet again and told her we didn’t have to have kids yet but since I thought she might be lonely in that big house by herself all the time while I worked between 6 to 7 days a week at the garage, I got her a puppy to keep her company. He was from the animal shelter in Senoia; all legs and big paws, looked like some kind of a hound, setter mix I think… I named him Cherokee and I’m telling you that mutt was the biggest, cutest, most affectionate ball o’ fur ya ever saw, but guess what… she hated him ‘cause he wasn’t some kinda fancy breed, show dog… and that was just the tip of the iceberg. I hung around another couple of years trying tomake it work but I just couldn’t make her happy and she up and left me for some rich old asshole out in Savannah. My Cherokee’s the only good thing came outta that disaster of a marriage. Still got ‘im too, bless his ole' heart. The mutt still acts happy to see me when I come home too," he chuckled. "My ex-wife didn’t appreciate me an ounce as much as that damn dog still does.”

"But you're such a great guy Daryl. I find that really hard to believe."

“You find what hard to believe?”

“How you're divorced... and currently single. These women dont know a good man when they see one? I just dont get it." 

"Why not? Ain't the first time I got dumped for some rich prick," he snapped. “You know that better than anybody too, Carol,” he then added bitterly.

Carol felt the sting in his words and knew she deserved it. She hadn’t expected it however, not that soon anyway; the conversation had taken a swan dive into territory she didn’t want to get into just yet. He was still bitter. Finding out that he wasn’t married was a positive because she’d promised herself a long time ago that if the opportunity ever presented itself she intended to finally come clean with him about why she’d left him all those years prior, but not quite yet. Before things could get any worse she tried to steer the conversation back to where she wanted it to go.

“Daryl, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“It’s ok... and Im sorry too. I was a bit out of line.”

“No harm done, really." She was quiet then went on. "Look… I know you said you had plans tonight so I won’t hold you up any longer than I already have but I want you to know that it was so great talking to you again after all this time.”

“Nice hearing from you too, sweetheart.”

Her heart melted at hearing him call her by his old nickname for her. An uncomfortable silence then passed however as Carol rehearsed in her mind what to say next. She wanted to talk to him face to face; that was why she’d called in the first place. She took a deep breath and tried to muster up a little more courage, desperately hoping that he wouldn’t turn her down.  
“So… since I’m back in town I hope I’ll see you around. Maybe we could uh… get a coffee or something? Catch up a little more?” she asked with a baited breath. He was silent, and Carol immediately began sweating bullets.

Daryl’s breath caught in his throat. Despite all the pain of the past, Daryl had always dreamed of seeing her again. “Yeah, sure Sweetheart… coffee… whatever ya want,” he replied. 

“I’m free the rest of this weekend,” she blurted out.

“Me too… kinda. I’ve gotta come in a few hours tomorrow, but it’s an easy job. I guess I can hang out tomorrow evening. Maybe we can grab something somewhere if ya want. But I’m a groomsman at my friend’s wedding on Sunday afternoon so ya can’t have me out all night long,” he chuckled.  
Carol giggled. “That would be great. Let’s exchange cell numbers.” A moment later Carol hung up with a big smile that she couldn’t wipe off her face. She felt nervous but happier than she’d felt in ages; she actually had a ‘date’ with Daryl Dixon after all those years!


	3. Brother's Intuition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle's just being Merle...

Daryl on the other hand felt uneasy. Although it had been years since Carol left him, and she was the last person he’d expected to talk to in a million years that afternoon, hearing her voice alone had caused many of his old feelings for her to suddenly come rushing back to the surface and he didn’t know quite how to handle it. He stood there a few moments longer, staring at Carol’s number now saved in his cell phone contacts. “She’s back. I can’t believe it,” he muttered aloud, rising from where he’d been sitting on the edge of his desk.

“Ya can’t believe who’s back? What’s goin’ on Lil’ Brother?” a low, raspy voice asked him in its distinctive and exaggerated southern twang. Daryl’s older brother Merle eyed him curiously; his tall, muscular frame blocking the doorway of Daryl’s office as he entered uninvited. He then cocked his head sideways as he stared at Daryl’s reddened face intently. Merle was as sharp as a tack and could immediately sense that something MAJOR was up. His little brother was the sensitive one in the family and he could sense that he had been deep in reflective thought, troubled over something and/or someone, and even after years of hunting, (initially as a necessity for food, and later as a hobby once they had money,) he’d been so engrossed in whatever was bothering him that his razor sharp instincts hadn’t even picked up on the fact that his brother had practically crept up on him after watching him from the doorway for the past few moments.

“Nobody and nothin,” Daryl grunted. He was NOT in the mood for an inquisition from Merle of all people at the moment.

“Uh, uh, uh… Lil Brother! Ole’ Merle knows yer ass too damn well fer that, so cut the bullshit,” he chuckled. “That pretty mug o’ yers is as red as a beet. Ya might as well tell me what’s buggin’ ya, or should I say who’s buggin’ ya... Ya already know I ain’t gonna let up ‘til I get to the bottom of it… gonna get it outta ya one way another… always have, always will. ‘Sides, ya told me you were shovin’ off early today. Yer ass should’a been long gone, and now I find ya up here starin’ at ‘yer phone and talking’ to yerself like some kinda nut job! I done already figured some broad’s got yer panties in a twist?” he chuckled.

Daryl groaned again. Merle had hit the nail on the head as always, but he knew that if he told his brother who he’d been talking to that he’d never hear the end of it. He just wasn’t in the mood for one of Merle’s “I told you so,” lectures.  


Merle’s favorite line was “I told you so,” and he’d warned him repeatedly years prior to not get involved with Carol (or, the Mouse, as he’d nicknamed her due to her petite frame,) in the first place. When he showed Merle the ring he was planning on giving Carol all those years ago Merle went ballistic. He’d even roughed him up a little, but when he refused to relent on his plan to propose to her, Merle changed his approach and began lecturing him with one of his infamous “Mark my words/I told ya so…” speeches. He remembered Merle’s warning like it was yesterday:  


“Don’t cha propose to that gal brother! Rich and poor don’t mix; never have and never will,” he’d cautioned him repeatedly. “Mark my words... I don’t care how swell she treats ya… you ain’t nothing’ but the backwoods redneck help ‘round there, and a rich man like Hershel Greene ain’t gonna no more like the idea of you marrying his niece than he would one of his own daughters. Ya told me yerself that he don’t even want ya’ to date the girl, let alone bang her so when this gets out, the shit’s gonna hit the fan. Now the Mouse is one hell of a gal, I give her that, and she loves yer ass as sure as I’m standin’, that I can tell. But she’s out of your league baby brother.”  


“What about Andrea? She aint out of your league?” Daryl asked about Merle’s girlfriend at the time.  


“Aint talkin’ bout Sugartits. I’m talkin’ bout that Mouse of yours. Besides… Andrea ain’t rich.”  


“She ain’t rich but she ain’t poor either. Her parents own a drug store and she’s almost finished law school. You don’t call that out of your league?”  


“Nope, cuz she ain’t stuck up.”  


“Neither is Carol!”  


“No… but her family is. That uncle of hers isn’t gonna stand for it on account of who ya are and where ‘yer from. There’s a reason why she’s hiding yer relationship. He forbade her from seeing you, and once he finds out you two have been goin’ at it like rabbits, he’s gonna see red, especially if he gets wind of you two marching down the aisle. He’s gonna bend her ear about her inheritance ‘til she hollers, too… trust and believe he’s gonna use the money angle to talks some sense into her ‘cuz that’s all rich folk really care about… money, and mark my words, she’s gonna break your heart as sure as my name is what it is. Now I could be wrong… she may put her foot down and stand by you… you did say she’s got her own money coming to her aside from her uncle’s once she turns 18, but I got a bad feeling she’s not gonna have much say so in the matter when it comes down to it for whatever reason and you’re gonna be the one nursin’ a broken heart. And she’s gonna move on like she never knew yer redneck ass. Now… she may come crawlin’ back down the line, but by then it’ll only be because no one else wants her. Like I said rich and poor don’t mix brother. Never forget that. Seen it a thousand times.”  


Daryl didn’t believe Merle had ever seen a thousand of anything, but he ended up being right all along. Fortunately he could see just how sad Daryl was at the time when Carol left him so he didn’t rub his nose in it too much. But now, even though the wound had healed, the last thing Daryl wanted to hear at that moment was Merle’s obnoxious gloating. “I don’t have time to talk about it now… I’m running late as it is. Look… are you still meeting us down at The Sanctuary later on? I told T-Dog that you were coming to happy hour.”

“Doubt if make it for happy hour, but I’ll damn sure be there for supper. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

“We’re probably gonna be out pretty late. You sure Andrea won’t mind?” Merle and his lawyer wife Andrea had recently had a set of twins and she’d just gone back to work that week, so she’d probably be exhausted with all five of their kids to deal with on her own all evening if Merle wasn’t home to help.

“Oh no… Sugartits will be just fine. She told me earlier that her coworker down at the law firm Michonne’s coming over to help out and not to mention the older kids have beena huge help with the babies as well. I don’t plan on staying out too late either… I’ll have a few beers and eat some dinner then head on home! Long as I’m there to put her to sleep like she needs, I’m out of the dog house,” he smirked. “Doc says she’s in the clear, know what I mean?” he wiggled his eyebrows. "Im long overdue for a little action!" 

“Spare me the freaky details,” Daryl groaned. “Just thinkin' about your old ass still humpin' around and making babies makes me wanna hurl.”

“Yeah, well at least my old ass is still gettin’ some ass,’” he chuckled. “When’s the last time you got laid? The early 90s?”  


“Shut the hell up Merle! I got a few, er… lady friends I can call up anytime I feel the need to, uhhh….”  


“Get yer dick wet?” Merle giggled lewdly. “I assumed as much. Yer a chip off the old block! But just in case none of yer 'lady friends' answer when ya call, ya might just get lucky down at the bar tonight. Some little dame might take pity on yer ass and give you some mercy pussy just fer the hell of it,” he laughed crudely.

Daryl rolled his eyes. “Fuck you Merle! Look I’ll see you down at the bar later on, alright.”

“Sure thing, brother! Oh and by the way… don’t think I forgot what I asked ya ‘bout earlier. I want all the details’ ‘bout whatever dame’s got your bloomers in a bunch. But after what I heard a little while ago bout Old Man Greene retirin’ and leavin’ his farm to his kids, I got a feelin’ I know just who the mystery mouse, I mean woman might be who’s “back” and got you all riled up…” he chuckled.

“Goodbye Merle!” Daryl groaned, hitting the light and ushering his nosy, incorrigible brother out of his office. As usual, he’d hit the nail on the head.

On the ride to his condo, Daryl replayed every line from his conversation with Carol in his head. Deep down he couldn’t wait to see her the next day. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her… so much had gone unsaid between them when she left all those years ago.


	4. Friendly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T-Dog offers support...

During the entire ride home Daryl was plagued with memories of Carol and he could only imagine how their ‘date’ would go the next day. There was so much he wanted to say to her and so many questions that had been left unanswered by her sudden departure years ago and he was so distracted by memories that he’d already pulled into his parking space in the rear of his building and had been sitting there several minutes before it hit him that he was at home.

Daryl owned a spacious bachelor pad in a nice condo community in NW Atlanta, as well as a riverside hunter’s cabin in Senoia that he frequently rented out for extra cash. He’d been working so much lately that he hadn’t gotten out there at all yet that summer to go hunting or fishing, two of his favorite past times, by himself or sometimes with Merle, and he planned on taking a week or so off from work after T-Dog returned to work at the garage following his honeymoon, to get in some long overdue relaxation time of his own.

Daryl grabbed his mail in the lobby of his building then took the elevator to the penthouse. Before he could completely get inside his front door, Cherokee was jumping up on him, barking happily and vigorously wagging his tail because his master was finally home. “Hey boy,” Daryl said with a grin as he lightly scratched the lovable mutt behind his ears. He then immediately grabbed Cherokee’s leash and the pooper scooper and after glancing at his watch he grabbed the dog’s favorite Frisbee (which made Cherokee yelp with glee,) then took his best buddy downstairs and across the block to the dog park to relieve himself, letting him chase and catch the Frisbee for about fifteen minutes (since he couldn’t get a nap in anyway.) Daryl then took him back inside, and apologized with an extra snack for not having time to really let him run off his energy like he usually did in the evenings, but that night the master of the house had plans. 

Daryl took a hot shower and got dressed then drove like a bat out of hell down to The Sanctuary. When he arrived, the place was just as crowded as always on a Friday night during happy hour. When Daryl entered he was met with the sounds of Southern Blues music playing in the background, the sight of all the hot waitresses in their skintight jeans, low cut tops and tall boots working the crowd, and the savory sweet smell of barbecue sauce and grill smoke was thick in the air. He let the cute hostess at the front door know that he was there for the Douglas party and she led him to a private room in the back where T-Dog and the rest of the guys in the wedding were assembled around a table laden with top shelf drinks and large platters of ribs, burgers, crabcakes, BBQ wings and assorted appetizers and side dishes. Among the party were groomsmen Shane Walsh and Rick Grimes, two of King County’s finest Sheriff’s Deputies; Sgt. Abraham Ford, one of T-Dog’s old army buddies from his brief stint in the military as well as his cousin Sasha’s husband, and the best man, Tyreese Williams, T-Dog’s cousin, along with a few of the happy groom’s other friends and relatives, including Gabriel, T-Dog’s minister brother who’d be officiating at the ceremony. Daryl was the last of the groomsmen to arrive and he let T-Dog know that Merle was still coming but would be a little late.  


Although the party was shaping into quite the blast, and Daryl had indulged in his fair share of food, drink and even a few laughs, he was deep in thought about his earlier conversation with Carol. All of the old memories and his old feelings for her were flooding back and he was quite distracted. He had to get out of there, even for just a few moments to collect his thoughts and he excused himself from the party by saying he needed a cigarette and would be back shortly.

When Daryl headed out of the Sanctuary’s rear entrance to the back parking lot, T-Dog followed him. He’d been tight with Daryl since their days at Woodbury College and was a little concerned about his friend’s seemingly affected mood. 

“My main man Dixon… let me get one of those,” T-Dog chuckled, jogging up behind him before gesturing for Daryl to give him a cigarette. He hadn’t smoked in ages since giving up the habit cold turkey a few years back, but it was relaxing to have one every once in a while. “You alright, man?” he then asked his friend after blowing out a plume of smoke following a long drag.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Daryl replied with a sigh, blowing out a couple of smoke rings. “Just got a lot on my mind.”

“Dixon, we been friends fifteen years. I knew something was bugging you. I won’t press you if ya don’t wanna talk about it but...”

“I don’t,” Daryl snapped.

“Alright! Damn! But… maybe I can help,” he pressed.

Daryl sighed again. He didn’t want to talk about it. “Look, nothing’s wrong, man!” He then suddenly remembered that T-Dog knew the whole sordid story of his break up with Carol years prior. He’d been the first friend he’d made at Woodbury College, and had listened to him vent about the break up for months while they were roommates in the dorm during one of the lowest times in his life. “Fine. I’ll tell ya. But don’t go blabbin’ it to Merle.”  


“Ya got my word. Now what is it?”

“Carol’s back.”

“Carol? Carol who? Burnette? I used to love her show!” he chuckled.

“Not Carol Burnette fool. Carol Greene.”

“Who’s Carol Greene?” 

“My Carol… from back in the day.”

T-Dog’s eyebrow raised and his mouth gaped. “You mean THE Carol? The girl you were crazy in love with? Who broke up with you just before we started at Woodbury, then moved out of state and married some other guy because her uncle hated you? The same Carol who prevented you from getting yourself laid the first three years of undergrad because you couldn’t get her out of your head? The same Carol you vowed you’d never stopped loving, no matter what?” he then added.

Daryl hung his head sheepishly. “The very one. You got a good ass memory, T!" 

"Dixon, you did talk about the girl non-stop for months! I feel like I know her."

"I know, I know... and now she's back and she called me today.”

“Well? What’d she want?”

“Nothin’ much… just to tell me that she’s back in town… fer good. Told me a little about how’s she's been. She’s got a daughter named Sophia and she followed her dream and became a nurse. She’s lookin’ fer a place and a hospital job in Atlanta… She was real curious about me too, ya know about how I’ve been and all… and and we’re uh, getting a coffee tomorrow...”

“A coffee date! Damn you move fast Dixon! But, um… what about her husband?” T-Dog asked with a smirk.

“She divorced the prick last year. And not a moment too soon from what I can tell. I think the fucker was abusin' her but I aint certain.”

“Thats horrible! If he was I'm glad she got away.”

“Yeah… I hope that wasnt the case. She just didnt sound quite like herself. Either way it was really nice talkin’ to her again after all these years. She didn’t say it, but I thinks she feels real bad for how things left off between us.”

“I bet. You always said she was special. Even after she hurt you, you said it wasnt all her fault and that you’d always love her. Maybe there really was more to it than her just up and leaving. You still care about her don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. Can’t get her off my mind. It’s like it all came rushin’ back. Everything I felt for her. I forgave her a long time ago and I think its hitting me that I never really stopped loving her, even with everything that happened. I know I sound crazy. She broke my heart. I should be pissed... or at the very least, indifferent, but I can't stay mad at her. Never could. Maybe I'm losin' it. She's been gone 16 years for goodness sake. We only spoke for twenty minutes today but I feel all those feelings rushing back. I do sound crazy!” he repeated.

“You don’t sound crazy at all. And maybe, just maybe she still feels the same about you.”

“Yeah right! That was 16 years ago!”

“So what. Youre over here going nuts, maybe she is too. I mean it Dixon. It’s never too late. Only one way to find out how she feels and why she did what she did,…talk to her. You’re gonna see her tomorrow. ”

“I will and thanks for listening and not judging. If I told Merle any of this he'd call me a sucker and a pussy whipped fool for pining over a woman I haven't seen in 16 years. Look man, I’m gonna get out of here. I need to be alone and think. Sorry if I’m being a party pooper. You're one of my best friends and this is supposed to be the happiest night of your life.”

“No, Sunday night's gonna be the happiest night of my life," he said with a wink. "You know my beautiful wife to be insisted that we abstain for the last few months of our engagement so I got some BIG plans in store for her on Sunday night if you get my drift! But it’s cool, man! I totally understand. I love my fiance so much I can only imagine how Id feel if we broke up unexpectedly and got a chance to reconnect. I wouldn't let it pass me by. Look, you sure you’re gonna be okay, Dixon?”

“Yeah. I just need to get home so I can think this thing through then try to get some sleep. Im working in the morning then hanging out with Carol tomorrow evenin' so I’ll see ya bright and early on Sunday.”

“Yes sir. Don’t forget, the wedding planner wants everyone in the bridal party down at the church by noon to get dressed and to take pictures. Ceremony starts at 2 sharp!”

“I’ll be there with bells on,” Daryl said with a smirk. 

"And one more thing Dixon... get a hair cut!" 

“Yeah, yeah. Look, just tell my brother I had a few errands to run when he gets down here. Last thing I need is Merle’s ass huntin’ me down.”

“I can handle Merle. You just make sure you get that mop on your head chopped off before my wedding." he chuckled. "You rode your bike?” T-Dog then asked, gazing up at the ever darkening sky.

“Yeah.”

“Well ya better get outta here. It’s been overcast all day but now it really looks like it’s about to pour any minute. Be safe and text me when ya get home.” They then shook hands and shared a brotherly hug.

Daryl hopped onto his Harley and roared off into the night, arriving home just as the rain started to fall.


	5. Down Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl reminisces... and it leaves him feeling hot and bothered.

Once inside, Daryl was greeted by Cherokee’s usual enthusiasm. He took the dog out back to let him relieve himself quickly then ushered him right back upstairs and cursed as the mutt shook rainwater from his short coat all over the freshly waxed blonde hardwood floors in the living room. Daryl mopped up the water with a towel then grabbed an ice cold beer from the fridge, before heading into the master suite to strip down to his boxer briefs and climbed into bed. It wasn’t even ten yet but he was glad to be home early for once on a Friday night. He was exhausted from the over 50 hours he’d put in at the garage that week and still had to work a few hours the next morning. 

Even though he’d only hung out for a couple of hours, Daryl had really enjoyed himself at T-Dog’s get together but at that point he was more than ready to relax on his plush, king sized bed. He turned the TV on, hoping to find a decent movie on cable to take to his mind off Carol but as soon as he started flipping through the channels a bright bolt of lightning illuminated the penthouse’s skylight window as well as his bedroom balcony’s sliding glass door, and it was soon followed by several loud crashes of thunder. Cherokee yelped in surprise from the loud sound from his spot on the plush throw rug at the foot of the bed and Daryl immediately turned the 75” screen right back off. The heart of the storm was close and the last thing he needed was for his damn near $2000 TV to malfunction due to a power surge or outtage during the storm.  


He laid across his bed and as he gazed out at the raging storm he let out a sigh in defeat. He knew it was only a matter of time before he became plagued by thoughts of Carol yet again. He’d thought of nothing and no one else since hearing her voice earlier that afternoon and the moment he closed his eyes, memories of her had supplanted everything else. Thoughts of her beautiful face, her warm smile and even the way her sparkling blue eyes closed up when she laughed made his heart flutter in his chest. ‘Get a grip, Dixon… yer worse than a goddamned teenager,’ he thought to himself, as he then rose and headed into his en suite bathroom to brush his teeth.  


Once back in bed, he was plagued by memories, and for some reason his mind drifted back to the night of his senior prom. He recalled that since he and Carol weren’t allowed to date, she’d had to lie to get out of the house overnight. She’d told him all about her plan to tell her Aunt Annette & Uncle Hershel that she’d be spending the night at her best friend Lori’s house in the city and that on the following morning, they’d be going on a senior class day trip to Six Flags amusement park. The part about going to Six Flags with her class was true at least, and fortunately her aunt and uncle bought the whole story. Instead of just pajamas, a swimsuit and a change of clothes in her overnight bag, Carol had also stashed a new party dress and a pair of sexy high heels in the trunk of her car. Once at her friend Lori’s house, another friend, Jessie, (who was enrolled in their school’s cosmetology program at the time,) came over and did Carol’s nails and makeup then styled her long, wavy reddish brown hair up in a high, loosely braided bun with a few wispy, tendrils. Carol looked like a Seventeen Magazine cover girl when they got finished with her and when Daryl arrived to pick her up he was speechless. He always thought that Carol looked gorgeous in tanks, jean shorts and flip flops, but upon seeing her all dressed up in her short, soft pink chiffon prom gown and a pair of tall, strappy silver and rhinestone studded sandals (that showed off her awesome legs and sexy French pedicure) and a few pieces of her late mom’s antique diamond jewelry (that she only wore on special occasions,) she took his breath away. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her for a minute and he held her close all night as they slow danced to every love song the cheesy school band played. The way she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest while they slow danced made his heart beat a mile a minute in his chest. The smell of her sweet vanilla perfume made his nature rise, and her plump, glossy lips looked like cherries he wanted to kiss. A few of Daryl’s classmates had invited him and Carol to the local diner to hang out with the gang after the prom and their initial plan had been to attend, but when Carol whispered in his ear that she wanted be alone with him he couldn’t resist; he wanted her all to himself, too.  


After the dance ended he took her to the Hilltop Motel out near the airport and that night was the first time that they made love. They’d made out countless times before, and as always they kissed and necked until they were breathless, but that night neither of them could hold back the passion and love they felt for one another. He couldn’t stop kissing and touching her and she was more than glad to let him strip her out of her gown so that he could kiss and touch her… all over. Daryl was no virgin, but Carol was and so he was really gentle, taking his time with her, making sure that she knew just how special she was to him and whispering in her ear just how much he cherished her as they became one between the sheets. Their lovemaking was hot, sweet and passionate and it was a night he never forgot. Even though they did it again several times before they broke up at the end of the summer, that first night was one of the best of his entire life.

“Damn,” Daryl muttered aloud as he relived the heated memory, willing the raging erection in his boxers to go down as he reminisced about Carol’s soft, beautiful body under his as he made her his own. No other woman before or since had made him feel that way and he felt a bit embarrassed as he darted into the bathroom to take a quick cold shower to cool himself down, then once back in bed, he listened to the rain as he tried to finally get some sleep.


	6. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol gets a little help from an old friend...

All Friday night Carol had Daryl heavily on her mind. She was glad that Sophia was spending a few hours at the farmhouse that evening to babysit Shawn’s kids while he and his wife had a date night, leaving Carol alone to her thoughts in the bunkhouse. After talking to Daryl, her feelings had ranged from nervousness to excitement and then from curiosity to downright LUST (particularly when she began fantasizing about their many passionate nights before they broke up during the summer after they graduated high school.) She hadn’t experienced pure, uninhibited passion like that before or since (certainly not with Ed,) and she’d been so caught up on her heated memories of making love with Daryl that she’d dreamt of him, awakening the next morning with her body drenched in sweat, and her panties soaked with desire; his name on her lips due to a long buried yearning for him still burning in her heart.  


That morning she had plans to meet up with her old friend Lori at the Kingdom Mall. Before moving back to Atlanta, Carol had gotten back in touch with her, and Lori was the one who’d gotten ahold of Daryl’s number at the garage for her. Carol confided that she’d never forgotten Daryl and often still felt deeply saddened for causing their break up years prior and Lori was determined to do something about it.

Lori knew the whole sordid story and shocked Carol when she told her that both her ex-husband Rick and her current husband Shane both knew Daryl through a mutual friend named Theodore aka “T-Dog,” who worked at Daryl’s garage. Lori knew just how special Daryl had been to Carol and how much he’d cared for her as well in the past, and offered her friend some heartfelt advice on not letting this second chance at possibly re-uniting with him pass her by, even if all it got her was some closure by apologizing to him after all those years. She then told Carol to look on the bright side; it was quite possible that he’d want to hear from her as well but the only way she’d ever find out was if she got in touch with him. There was no way he could know that she’d finally left Ed and had moved back to town, unless she told him.  


Carol was highly skeptical; she just KNEW that Daryl was probably happily married and hadn’t even thought of her once in the sixteen years since she’d caused their break up, and if he had he probably didn’t remember her in the best of regards; she’d really dumped him quite cruelly without much of an explanation. Lori wasn’t so sure however, and convinced Carol that it was worth a shot to try to get back in touch with him. Sixteen years was a long time to stay angry, especially over one’s ‘first love’ and if the good had outweighed the bad (as anyone who’d ever heard Carol talking about Daryl knew it had for them,) he may have liked to speak with her again, and if he possibly had any unresolved feelings for her, he might be interested in acting on them, particularly if he were single like she was.  


Lori was still sometimes stunned by Carol’s changed demeanor and lack of confidence. The old Carol would have acted on her feelings without a second thought but this new Carol was NOT the same old Carol and Lori looked forward to helping her friend get back to her old self. She DESPISED Ed for separating them and destroying their friendship and all of her other friendships, as well as her family ties by isolating Carol and controlling who she could talk to and where she could go, very early on in the marriage. Carol revealed that he became verbally and physically abusive to her as well over time as well as openly cheated on her frequently, but once he fathered children with his mistress, she finally had PROOF of his affairs and had the ammunition to leave him and hurt him where he’d feel it most: in his bank account; which she did, winning a hefty alimony allotment, back payments of her insurance money (which he’d controlled and hidden for years) as well as a generous child support settlement for Sophia until she completed college. She’d also won sole custody of Sophia which was all she’d really wanted.  


Carol and Lori resumed their friendship not long after Carol became separated from Ed and got a small apartment of her own with help from her cousin Maggie, and it was at that time that she started nursing school. Carol chose to stay in Birmingham after the divorce was final so that Sophia wouldn’t be uprooted from her own school and friends, but upon finishing 11th grade, Sophia told her mother that they both needed a fresh start after getting away from her dad and Carol decided that home (Georgia) was where her heart was and made the decision to return there.  


Lori was ecstatic about her friend’s decision to move back to Atlanta and promised she’d help her in any way she could with the transition. During one of their first ‘girls night’ outings upon Carol’s return, she revealed to Lori that she never truly got over Daryl and for years had harbored a lot of regret and sadness over losing him and thought about him often over the years.

Lori felt that everyone was entitled to a second shot at love; especially someone as kind, sweet and as strong as Carol. Ed had tried to crush her spirit but she came out on top, and she was worthy of a man who’d love and cherish her the way she deserved. She knew from experience; her own first marriage to her high school sweetheart, Rick Grimes, had ended a few years prior but she’d been lucky enough to find love again. The divorce from Rick was amicable; they’d simply grown apart and decided to separate before things got ugly, and had surprisingly remained friends and co-parents of their teenaged son, Carl with a joint custody agreement. Lori ended up hooking up with Deputy Shane Walsh, Rick’s former field partner in the King County Sheriff’s Office, which had caused a few problems initially but worked out in the end. They’d all gone to Alexandria Prep School together; in fact, Lori and Shane had actually dated briefly before Rick transferred there in the 11th grade. Years later however Shane and Lori realized that they were perfect for each other; which initially caused a huge rift in Shane and Rick’s friendship and working relationship but they got past it once Rick realized that Shane only pursued Lori AFTER she and Rick had been apart for well over a year. Rick ended up dating Michonne Anthony, his and Lori’s divorce lawyer anyway, and they were currently engaged. Lori now had a daughter (Judith) with Shane and they all got along well for the kids’ sake and even socialized occasionally.  


When Carol confided in Lori that she was curious about possibly getting in touch with Daryl again, Lori immediately began inquiring of Shane AND Rick of his whereabouts since she knew that they both had a mutual friend who worked at Daryl and his brother Merle’s garage. Neither of her exes had known Daryl in high school however; they’d become acquainted several years later, through Theodore “T-Dog” Douglass, a mechanic who’d initially worked in the King County Sherriff’s Office garage and had maintained both deputy’s police cruisers for several years before going to work in the private sector at Dixon’s Autos for less stress, more flexibility and a whole lot more money. Since T-Dog was the best mechanic they’d ever seen in action, many guys on the force hired him to repair their personal cars as well, including both Shane and Rick, and when T-Dog left, they stayed in touch with him at his new job at Dixon’s and that’s how they both met Daryl (and by extension, ended up as groomsmen with him in T-Dog’s upcoming wedding.)  


Lori was able to get Daryl’s work number after just a little snooping, and passed it on to Carol with a wish of good luck. That previous evening she was almost as excited as Carol was on the phone when she found out that not only had she finally spoken to Daryl, but that he was single and they actually had a “coffee date” scheduled for Saturday evening. Lori then talked her friend into going shopping for a new outfit the next day at the Kingdom Mall and insisted on treating for mani-pedis at the salon.  


***  
Carol had to admit that she wanted to look her best when she saw Daryl again so she agreed to Lori’s plan. During her disaster of a marriage, she’d really let herself go, and the bitter divorce, the stress of nursing school, and the hustle and bustle of moving back to Atlanta and starting over, all in under two years hadn’t helped whatsoever. It had been forever since she’d treated herself to wardrobe shopping and beauty treatments, so she knew she could stand a makeover. She decided to get the works done at the salon including brow waxing, a steam facial and a even new hairdo, as well as a bit of makeup, and planned to not only buy one new outfit, but to get started on a whole new wardrobe for herself. She decided to spare no expense for a change; she was WORTH IT! Her self-esteem had been down in the dumps for so long and she was yearning to break out of her shell and get back to the old Carol, the REAL Carol, and Daryl’s simply agreeing to see her again had already done wonders for her spirit.  


Lori asked Carol to bring Sophia along to the mall in the morning so that she could introduce her to her son Carl, who worked weekends at one of the restaurants in the food court. They’d both be seniors at Alexandria Prep in the fall; Carl played on the basketball team and was really popular, so Lori figured that maybe he could introduce Sophia to a few of his friends. Carol then jokingly added that it would be even better if he could introduce Sophia to his manager, and get the girl a job!  
Carol was only half kidding; it wasn’t like Sophia was a reckless spender who regularly mismanaged her child support allowance. Sophia rarely asked Carol for much more than what she was allotted each week for clothes, shoes, cosmetics, cell phone game apps and I-Pods or I-Tunes or whatever else teenagers spent their money on these days; but Carol knew that once she started working full time at a hospital, Sophia may start feeling a little lonely without her since she didn’t have any friends in Atlanta yet, and she thought a little part time job may give her something to do with her free time and a chance to meet some people her own age in the two months remaining before school started.

After a quick breakfast, Carol and Sophia headed out to meet Lori at the mall. The heavy rain from the previous night had let up somewhat, but it was still drizzling a little and cloudy, and as they drove along it was announced on the radio that the worst of the rainfall was scheduled to hit the area late that evening and Carol deeply hoped that the pending storm wouldn't ruin her date plans.


	7. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle plants a seed of doubt... Carol shops... Daryl disappoints...

Daryl woke up in the same embarrassing state of arousal that he’d fallen asleep with due to the heated, lustful dreams he’d had throughout the night brought on by vivid memories of making love to Carol. He’d been in an almost perpetual state of arousal since talking to her and he took care of it during yet another cold shower, then after walking and feeding the dog, he headed down to the garage. On the way there he made two stops; the first was to Krispy Kreme® for two of their sinfully good ‘melt in your mouth’ glazed donuts and a coffee, and the second was at the local Hair Cuttery® salon for a long overdue shape up and close cut, Caesar style trim.

When he entered the garage sporting his new haircut, he was greeted by admiring looks from the couple of female patrons in the shop having work done on their vehicles, as well as applause and a few loud whistles from Tara. He gave her the finger with a playful smirk as he darted upstairs to his office to check his email before getting started on the bike he’d planned to work on restoring for the next couple of hours. He hadn’t been at his desk five minutes however before Merle strolled in, uninvited as usual. 

“Mornin’ brother! Nice cut! I can see our Ma in ya more and more the older ya get! Ya even got her beauty mole,” he chuckled. “Now… what in the hell happened to ya last night? When I got down to the Sanctuary the party was in full swing and yer ass weren’t nowhere in sight! T-Dog told me you’d just up and left but said you told him to tell me not to call ya! Why in the hell’d ya leave so damn early, hmmm?” 

“Wanted to is all,” Daryl grumbled, still gazing at his computer screen. “And I didn’t wanna be bothered. Had a lot on my mind.”

Merle stared at him with a knowing smirk. “Ya helped Shane and Rick plan the damn thing, then all of a sudden ya wanted to leave early fer no reason? Please… I’m on to ya, Brother.”

“The hell you getting’ at Merle? Spit it out.”

“Darylina you ain’t hardly slick,” he chuckled. “I’d bet my last dollar you were out chasin’ after the Mouse last night; she’s the only person I can think of that’d make you neglect yer best friend in the world at his bachelor party… ‘ceptin’ me of course. You two make love in the rain for old time’s sake or somethin?” he laughed. 

Daryl glared at him but didn’t reply. At that moment he regretted telling Merle years prior about the time he and Carol had sex one night in the bunk house during a summer rain. It had lasted for hours and it was so hot and exciting that it had been one of the most romantic times they’d done it and he cherished the memory and now desperately wished he’d kept it to himself. 

Merle only laughed. “Hot damn! That broad must have dynamite between her thighs! She just got back into town after being gone damn near twenty years and she’s already leading ya around by yer dick!”

“Shut the hell up, Merle. She ain’t leadin’ me nowhere. You don’t know nothin’ ‘bout it. And no I wasn’t out with Carol last night… I went home. Showed my face at the party but I left ‘cuz like I said, I had a lot on my mind. Needed to get outta there… so I could think.”

“About the Mouse. You talked to her yesterday, right?” Merle pressed.

“Yeah,” Daryl admitted. 

“I knew it… I just knew it! So… she still with that asshole she married?”

“Naw. She’s single again.”

Merle shook his head. “Figures. I told you this shit was gonna happen! How convenient. She left yer ass high and dry, and now all these years later, she comes waltzing back to town now that her husband don’t want her ass no more, and you just happen to be single again too. So now what… ya’ll just gonna pick up where ya left off?”

“Of course not, Merle! It’s been sixteen years! And from what I gather, she left him. They’ve been divorced over a year now.”

“Ain’t that nice!”

Daryl rolled his eyes. “Anyway, were havin’ a coffee later, just to catch up… as if it’s any of your business.”

“Coffee?”

“Yes, coffee. I think were gonna meet up at a café someplace.”

“Big mistake. Liquor’s a better potion for romance, brother. Besides, ya told me yerself ya ain’t been laid in months. Take her ass to a bar then hit up a motel and get some retribution! It’s the least she can do fer ya! But make sure you wrap up tight. She’s already got one brat from what I’ve heard. Might try to trap ya with another one to seal the deal! It’s only a matter of time before yer back together. I just know it!”

“Shut the hell up Merle! Were just gettin’ a coffee! Besides, Carol’s not like that and you know it.”

“I dont know nothin’, brother, ‘ceptin that’s probably how she got that other prick to marry her… and she’s already back in yer head,” he laughed. “Probably never left… yer heart neither. It’s only a matter of time before ya fall back in love with her… hopefully she won’t break yer heart again this time around.”

“Fuck you, man!” Daryl growled and Merle exited his office with a knowing laugh. His brother’s thinly veiled warnings about Carol had him thinking, and he soon began having a change of mind about meeting her later on in the day.

\----

Meanwhile, Carol and Sophia met up with Lori at the Kingdom Mall. Sophia met Carl and they immediately hit it off, so much so that Lori joked that dating may be in their future judging from the way Carl kept looking at her when he thought no one noticed.  
They headed into the mall’s beauty shop and Carol got the surprise of a lifetime when she discovered that their old friend Jessie owned the salon. She got a facial, a cute peach shade matching manicure and pedicure, brow waxing and Jessie gave her a short, stylish pixie haircut that took a good ten years off of her. When Carol looked into the mirror she barely recognized herself, and Lori told her that Daryl was gonna flip when he saw her again.

They then ventured into the mall where Lori dragged her to all of the major department stores, including Macy’s®, Nordstrom®, Bloomingdales® and Neiman Marcus®, selecting a few designer sundresses and a couple of pairs of sandals along the way, as well as a few pieces of jewelry and even makeup and perfume from the other less expensive chain stores in the mall, as well as splurging on an adorable monogrammed clutch for Sophia from the Louis Vuitton® boutique. Carol spent more in that afternoon than she had in years, but she was beginning to accept the fact that she was worth every penny. 

They didn’t leave the mall until the middle of the afternoon and once back at the bunk house Carol took a short nap because she was so excited and nervous about seeing Daryl again that she thought she was gonna burst. She remembered that he said hed call her to confirm their plans but around five thirty she received a text message that totally dampened her happy mood. It read as follows: "Hey Carol, its Daryl. Changed my mind about meeting up for coffee. Sorry I didn't say something sooner. Heading home now. Later."


	8. A Minor Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl clears up a miscommunication...

Carol’s heart sank as she stared at her cell phone’s screen. Deep down she’d had a bad feeling all along that Daryl might not want to go out with her after all that time, and now it was confirmed. It hurt even worse because she’d gotten her hopes up, only to be disappointed. Unfortunately, Carol was a woman who was well acquainted with disappointment, and Daryl’s cancellation gave her particular pain. 

For years she’d wondered if she’d ever get a chance to even see Daryl again, let alone talk to him; and then, quite on a whim, she’d gotten back in touch with him and he actually agreed to go out with her despite everything from their past. It sounded absurd but to her it was a dream come true. She’d been through so much since their break up, and all she wanted was to finally reveal to him why she’d made the decisions she’d made, as well as ask his forgiveness for the pain she’d caused by leaving him the way that she had. She hoped that time had dulled the hurt, but Daryl quickly revealed to her during their conversation the night before that he indeed remembered; it was quite obvious in his wisecrack about his ex-wife leaving him for another man, and Carol knowing all about him being dumped for a ‘rich prick.’ 

The term was certainly descriptive of her ex-husband, however ‘rich asshole’ seemed even more fitting since Ed’s prick hadn’t ever been much to write home about; he was however an asshole of epic proportion. 

“What a waste,” she thought aloud as she surveyed all of her new purchases hanging in the closet. She’d been just about to shower and get dressed in case Daryl let her know that he was ready to meet up. Just then she received another text message...

Lori: “Hey girl! Have fun tonight… and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! By the way… just a suggestion. You might wanna pack an overnight bag to take on your hot date just in case you two get carried away reminiscing about the past and decide to get a room someplace to make up for lost time---between the sheets! I want all the dirty details first thing tomorrow! Lol! Love ya!”

Carol immediately replied, “Unfortunately there won’t be any dirty details, Lori, nor any clean ones either for that matter. He cancelled.”

Lori: “What?”

Carol:”Daryl cancelled.”

Lori: “Why?”

Carol: “I don’t know. I guess he just doesn’t want to see me again after all and now I really feel awful.”

“OMG! What did he say? Wait… I’m about to call!” she texted. The second that Carol answered the phone Lori immediately began ranting. She knew how much this date meant to Carol and she felt awful for her. “Carol you poor thing! How dare he cancel on you? What did he say?”

Carol read the text. "Hey Carol, its Daryl. Changed my mind about meeting up for coffee. Sorry I didn't say something sooner. Heading home now. Later."

"What a jerk!” Lori hissed.

Carol sighed. “He’s really not a jerk, Lori. He has the right to change his mind. I’m a little disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. And who knows, maybe something happened. Besides, I just popped back into his life out of the blue 24 hours ago. I don’t know… maybe it’s for the best. Maybe I I should just let sleeping dogs lie.”

“Carol, you told me yourself about how much seeing him again means to you, and how much you wanted to tell him about why you left in the first place and apologize. I just think he pulled a jerk move by cancelling on you! Who does he think he is?”

Carol sighed yet again. Lori hadn’t changed a bit. She’d always been fiercely loyal friend. Just then, Carol’s cell phone beeped. “Hang on a sec Lori, I’ve got another call coming in…. Oh! It’s Daryl!”

“Good! Maybe he can give you a good explanation for why he punked out!

"We'll see. Hold on." Carol clicked over. “Hello.”

“Hey Carol.”

“Daryl, hey,” she replied, trying to hide her dejected mood.

“Ya busy? I mean, it’s not a bad time or anything is it?

“No, not at all. I just got your text a few minutes ago,” she said quietly.

“Yeah… about that. I’m sorry I got back to ya so late. I got held up at work, as usual. So, you think of a place?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you think of a place, ya know, where you’d like to go?”

Carol was confused. “Well all along I was kinda thinkin’ Starbucks®, but then you said you didn’t wanna meet up. Look, it’s okay Daryl, really. If you don’t wanna see me, I understand.”

He cut her off. “Carol, what are ya talkin’ about? Course I wanna see ya! I’m about to get dressed to take ya to dinner.”

“Dinner? I thought we said coffee…”

“We did… but you said you got my text, right?” 

“Yes, and I thought you’d changed your mind... about seeing me. The text didn’t say anything about dinner.”

“Guess I wasn’t too clear. I said I changed my mind about getting coffee, not about seeing ya! Carol, I can’t wait to see you again… and to talk to ya too. It’s been so long, we got a lot to catch up on. But right now I’m hungry woman, so coffee and a goddamn cupcake or a scone or whatever the hell kinda fancy, overpriced muffins they got down there at the Starbucks® just aint gonna cut it. I ended up workin’ all damn day down at the shop because we were short staffed again, so now, I need to fill my belly. I want some real food!”

“Oh! Well… I don’t know! I hadn’t thought about it. I am a bit hungry myself, though. What do you have a taste for?” she asked.

‘Don’t ask me that, woman,’ he thought to himself with a mischievous smirk. Despite his discouraging conversation with Merle earlier that day, he hadn’t been able to get the heated memories of his many nights with Carol off of his mind. “Umm… anything‘ll do. A burger I guess… or maybe a steak?”

“Dale’s, perhaps?” she asked. That had always been their favorite spot in the past.

“Cool. Dale’s it is. We don’t need a reservation or anything. Let’s meet there at 7. Unless ya want me to come get ya?”

“Oh no! Daryl don’t go out of your way for me. I’ll meet you there.”

“Its no trouble at all. You’re at the old bunkhouse, right? Out at your uncle's ranch?”

“Yes, but I can drive, really. I insist.”

“Alright Sweetheart, if you insist. See ya soon.”

"I can't wait. Bye." Carol felt giddy as she clicked back over to an impatient Lori. “I’m back, Lor.”

“Well, what did that jerk have to say for himself? He gets a cool point for calling at least, but he'd better have a good excuse for cancelling at the last minute!”

“Actually he didn’t cancel after all! I misunderstood his text… I mean, it was rather vague, but he simply meant that he didn’t want coffee; not that he didn’t want to meet at all. He actually wants to do dinner.”

“Oh! Dinner, eh? That's even better. Dixon gets a reprieve! So where are you two headed?”

“Dale’s… we’re meeting down there at 7 o'clock.”

“Dale's! Perfect! They have those little romantic booths with the privacy curtains ... you two can really talk and get caught up!"

"Oh gosh! I forgot about the 'kissing booths' in the back."

"Oh yeah! Make sure you two get one! Look Carol I’m gonna let ya go so you can get ready. 7 will be here before you know it. Make sure you take a selfie and send it to me before you leave so I can see which outfit you picked. And don’t forget what I said about packing an overnight bag! And I meant what I said... if you two end up at a hotel tonight, call me first thing tomorrow with all the dirty details!”

“Goodbye Lori!” Carol groaned with a laugh. She took a quick, hot shower then got dressed. She chose one of her new sundresses, a casual blue, knee length, A-line wrap style that showed off her legs and a tan pair of flat sandals. She wanted to wear heels but it was still raining out and the last thing she wanted to do was get a heel stuck in the mud. She then chose a few pieces of understated gold jewelry, and got Sophia to do her makeup, opting for nude lipstick, bronzer, black eyeliner, a touch of mascara to bring out her blue eyes and a hint of blush.

“Mom, you look great!" Sophia gushed when she was finished. "Have fun on your date tonight!” Just then her cell started buzzing and when she looked at the screen she smiled big as anything.

“Who’s that calling you, Sweetie?” Carol asked as she grabbed her purse.

“Carl Grimes,” she sighed. “I forgot to tell you that he asked for my phone number while we were at the mall today! He is SO cute!”

“Oh! Well excuse me, Miss!” Carol said with a smirk. “I shouldn’t be too late Soph, but if you need me just call my cell. I’ll be at Dale Horvath’s Steakhouse out on Dead Walker Road. It’s about a twenty minute drive from here. Oh, and Cousin Shawn’s up at the house if you need anything.” Sophia shook her head, but it was obvious that she was already deeply engrossed in whatever the young, oh so cute, Mr. Grimes had to say. Carol smiled knowingly then left out for her date with Daryl.


	9. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl arrives at Dale's; sees Carol from afar...

Normally Daryl would’ve taken his bike, but the heavy fog and rain forced him to take his truck instead. He arrived at Dale Horvath’s Steakhouse a few minutes before 7 and his first thought was wondering if Carol had beaten him there; the ranch in King County was closer to the restaurant than his NW Atlanta condo, and she'd always been a stickler for time. He noticed that there were a decent amount of cars on the lot despite the crappy weather as he scanned the parking lot to possibly spot Carol’s car; she’d mentioned the day before that she had a late model Acura coupe; but he didn’t see one. Once inside, a medley of of 70’s soft rock hits could be heard and the delicious aroma of barbecue grill smoke was in the air. Daryl’s eyes skimmed over the small crowd waiting to be seated in the lobby but the face he’d been longing to see for the past 16 years was nowhere to be found. He went up to the hostess and requested a table for two under the name Dixon, and was told there’d be a short wait. He took a seat on one of the cushioned benches near the entrance to wait, and after a while a waitress led him to a small table not far from the entrance. Daryl kept his eyes trained on the door, and at 7 o’clock sharp, it opened slowly and Carol demurely stepped inside and shook out her umbrella.  
Daryl had dreamt of this moment for years and he thanked his lucky stars that he’d seen her before she saw him because it gave him the chance to admire her without her knowing it, even if was only to be a moment or so before she caught sight of him.

Daryl stared at her intently and his breath caught in his throat. His jaw dropped slightly as well at the sight of her familiar, beautiful face, which he immediately realized hadn’t changed very much, save for appearing a bit fuller and sporting a few more tiny freckles than before, as well as a laugh line or two that had actually given her already pretty face even more character, which only added to her beauty instead of detracting from it as she’d stated the day before. He thought that her ultra-short, stylish haircut showed off her gorgeous, sparkling blue eyes and high cheekbones and the hint of silver at her temples made her look mature and very, very sexy' even sexier than he'd remembered in his dreams. Daryl felt his mouth water as he watched her tip over to the hostesses booth. She was wearing a blue, knee-length wrap dress that accentuated her small waist and curvy hips (and yes, she still had those gorgeous legs, he also noticed, immediately.) She spoke in a hushed tone to the young lady at the desk, who then pointed toward him and a second later their eyes locked and time stood still for a moment.


	10. Anticipation II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl still takes her breath away...

As Carol slowly walked toward the table where Daryl sat, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She’d waited years to see him again and he looked even more gorgeous than she’d remembered. Her breath caught when she saw his intense blue eyes staring into her own from across the room. He had a deep tan, his hair had darkened up quite a bit since they were younger (she could tell that it had been cut quite recently) and he now had a thin mustache which didn’t hide the sexy mole beside his lip, and the makings of a scruffy beard that had likely been shaped up that day as well. He’d always been on the slim side, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that now his arms and broad shoulders had bulked up with corded muscle built from years of hard work with his hands. He was dressed casually in a black t-shirt, jeans and his favorite tan Irish Setter work boots and his infamous sleeveless black motorcycle club vest that had a pair of angel’s wings embroidered on the back was draped over the chair facing him and Carol thought that he looked like a million bucks as she admired him from afar initially and then up close once they were face to face.

“Daryl…” she whispered shyly with a small smile when she reached the table and took his hand in hers. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“You too,” he said with a nod, shaking her hand in his own before standing and opening his arms for a hug. “None o’ that handshake stuff, woman,” he murmured. “We go too far back for that. Come ‘ere.”

Carol immediately went willingly into his arms and let out a low sigh when he pulled her in close. His strong arms engulfed her petite frame and she almost felt high as she inhaled his intoxicating cologne blending in with his own unique, familiar, manly smell. The hug lasted much longer than the average greeting, and she relished every second. SHe felt like she was dreaming. “Daryl, you look really great,” she then said with a shy smile when he finally released her and allowed her to sit across from him. “I can hardly believe it’s been 16 years.” 

“I know. You too.”

“Oh please,” she said with a smirk while waving her hand at him. “I’m going gray, and I’ve gained all of this weight,” she chuckled, trying to deflect the compliment out of habit.

“Stop,” he murmured, taking her hand back in his own. “Yer just as pretty as you were the last time I saw ya. I mean it, Carol,” he then added as he stared at her intently

Carol blushed deeply but simply nodded remembering that Lori had coached her earlier that day on accepting compliments again. She knew deep down that she was worthy of a man complimenting her; she just had to get used to it again. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, Sweetheart.”

Just then their waitress came over to take their food orders. They ordered a bottomless pitcher of beer to share (to take the edge off,) as well as an appetizer platter for two. Carol then got the grilled chicken salad while Daryl opted for a steak with grilled shrimp along with a baked potato and a salad. Carol asked Daryl if he minded moving to a booth and he didn’t care a bit so the waitress relocated them to one of the private curtained booths in the back before bringing out their drinks and appetizers.

Carol had so much she wanted to tell Daryl, but she wasn’t sure exactly of how to start to bring the topic up. She figured she’d ask about his family, then could possibly get around to talking about her own which would bring her uncle to the conversation and she could go from there, since at the core of their break up, her uncle Hershel Greene played a big part in the demise of their young love.


	11. Storm Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's brewing...

Carol wanted to initiate the dreaded conversation and pour her heart out to him about everything to finally get it all off her chest but every time she tried to approach the “elephant in the room,” his heated glances and bold stares made her feel distracted and shockingly aroused. The intense way he was gazing over at her was making her feel self conscious and every time she shot a few shy glances his way she found that he was already staring intently at her. His bold observation of her every move as she picked at her appetizer and sipped her beer in silence made her feel nervous, as well as a little hot… all over. He’d always had that effect on her, and no amount of time apart could change it she immediately realized. She chanced a glance at him again and their blue eyes locked yet again. ‘Good Lord, he really is even more gorgeous now than he was years ago. I didn’t think it was possible,’ she thought to herself.

Daryl on the other hand was curious about why she was being so quiet and acting so nervous. Carol had NEVER been awkward or shy in the past. It was true it’d been a long time since they’d seen one another but they’d known each other forever, and the date was her idea in the first place. That bastard Ed mustve really done a number on her. She had to know that he wasn’t going to bite her… (unless she wanted him to; the peek he had taken at her legs in her blue dress had him thinking about it.) Either way however Daryl could tell she was very uncomfortable and since he was nowhere near ready for the night to end he figured he’d have to be the one to put her at ease. She looked like she was going to either jump up and run out, or worse, cry any second which he couldn't bear. He'd only seen her cry twice, tears of joy during their first time and tears of sadness, anguish and regret on the night they broke up, and that was the last thing he wanted to see again. He’d never been much for words, ‘but this is Carol,’ he thought to himself. He couldn’t bear to see her in distress, so he initiated the conversation. “So, Ms. Carol,” he began with a small smile. “Ya got any pictures of that beautiful daughter of yours on ya? I’d love to see her.”

Carol's eyes immediately lit up and a smile burst forth. “My Sophia? Of course!” Carol giggled as she took her phone from her purse and proceeded to show Daryl over a dozen plus pictures of Sophia ranging in age from birth up through her junior prom pics taken just a month prior on her Facebook page and saved in the picture gallery on her cell in rapid succession.

He whistled. “Ya weren’t lying, Carol… she is awful pretty! In fact, she reminds me a lot of a girl I used to know,” he then added with a mischievous smirk. 

"Thanks," Carol whispered with a smile. “And what about you, huh? You got any pics of that crazy brother of yours on your phone?”

Daryl groaned. “Merle’s old, ugly mug damn near broke my cell’s camera. I got a pic of him saved on here someplace. I got a few pics of my nieces and nephews on here somewhere too.”

“Nieces and nephews, plural? Merle must’ve been busy! Did he ever marry that blonde he was dating? The one in law school? Wasn't her name Adrianne or Adriana?"

"Andrea." 

"Oh yeah! Andrea! She was so nice but she was time enough for Merle and they seemed pretty serious! I remember the couple of times we double dated, Merle couldn't keep his hands off of her!” Carol added with a laugh.

“Yep, he married Andrea. They just celebrated their 15th anniversary. She’s a partner at Anthony & Harrison-Dixon’s law firm downtown now. She and Merle have five rug rats if you can believe it, all under the age ten; the two youngest are identical twin boys who just turned two months, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have another one next year from the way my brother is talking! Can you imagine Merle’s old ass still making babies?” he asked with a disgusted frown as he showed Carol the pictures.

Carol giggled as she looked at various pictures of Merle’s family, and got especially tickled by the one of him posing shirtless in the nursery with a cowboy hat on his head, a big smile on his still handsome face while holding his new chunky, grinning, bouncing baby boys, one under each arm like a football as he got them both ready for fresh diapers. “He hasn’t changed a bit,” she laughed. 

“Unfortunately,” Daryl groaned. 

Carol then showed Daryl pictures of her cousin Shawn’s family, a recent picture of a VERY pregnant Maggie and her husband, Glenn, as well as a picture of Beth, all of whom Daryl had gotten to know a little when he worked at the ranch, but hadn’t seen any of them since they were all kids. The picture show broke the ice and before long the waitress brought their food orders out to them.

Daryl eagerly tore into his steak dinner like a starving man as he resumed the conversation. "So Old Man Hershel Greene finally retired, huh?" he said in a sarcastic tone. "He sure hated my guts."

Carol dreaded this part. "Well Daryl, its true... you were NOT one of his favorite people back then. But it was so much more to it than that. There's so much I want to tell you," she said sadly. "So many things I've wanted to say." She looked near tears again.

Daryl touched her hand. "I'm listening."

She gazed at him and his heartfelt expression gave her the courage to go on. SHe was so afraid of his rejection but she knew she had to finally get it all off her chest. Just seeing him again was killing her inside and she wanted to be free of the burden of carrying around her big secret. "About my Uncle Hershel. He meant well. Deep down I know he only wanted the best for me but things didn't turn out that way."

"What do you mean, Carol?" 

"I always thought that he was looking out for my best interest, you know, concerning my inheritance and all. When he tried to keep us apart in the beginning I knew it was about my money." 

"I wasn't ever after your money." 

"I know that... but my uncle didn't." She paused, then went on. "But then over time I realized that it wasnt just my money he was concerned about. He had selfish motives for insisting that I break things off with you.

"What do you mean... selfish motives?"

"You remember how he kept pushing for me to date Ed, even more so after he found out about us?"

"Yeah... but how was that selfish? I just figured he thought I wasn't good enough for ya. No man thinks anyone's good enough for his little girl, and he was raisin' you like you were his very own daughter."

"That was only part of it, Daryl. Trust me, he was being selfish. You do know what the Peletier family's main business was don't you? Aside from the liquor store chain and the casinos of late?"

"Yeah... they owned the biggest racetrack in the state."

"Exactly... and my uncle Hershel owned the top horse farm in King county."

"So?" 

"So... he was business partners with Antoine Peletier, as well as his old drinking and gambling buddy from his card sharking days. I found that out over time. They had more than one common interest, but the biggest was horses. Mr. Peletier personally bought dozens of show ponies and race horses to train and stud from our ranch alone, as well as sent a lot of business my uncle's way from big time horse racing gamblers and investors from across the south. Not only for the legit racetrack gambling, but for laundering funds from his underground gambling operations and other back alley business dealings as well. Uncle Hershel thought of getting in on the racetrack business and was in talks with Antoine Peletier for financial backing. When Uncle Hershel found out that Antoine's son Ed was seriously interested in me, he decided to play matchmaker to 'sweeten the deal,' if you will. Why else would he invite Ed over all the time, and repeatedly put me in such a vulnerable and compromised situation?" Carol's normally soft, sweet voice had suddenly turned cold.

Daryl stared at her. "Maybe he thought he'd be a better match for you, considering that he came from old money." 

"Money isnt everything," Carol muttered cryptically. "He wasnt a very nice guy, Daryl... and though you weren't rich you always treated me like queen."

"I know, but I had nothing concrete to offer you then, Carol. It seemed so cruel of your uncle at the time to forbid us from dating, but maybe he really thought he was looking out for your best interest. You were only 17."

She sighed. "Exactly. I was only 17; and 17 is much too young to be manipulated into dating someone I only barely knew, didn't trust at all and didnt even like very much. My uncle knew Ed's father; he didn't know Ed. Like I said before, he wasnt a very nice guy. I dont care how much money he had, he never should have been allowed such easy access to me. I was old enough to date, but Ed was a virtual stranger to me. Any other boy I might have dated wouldn't have been allowed to come over whenever he wanted and even stay the night at our home. I was just too young and naive for that. I was wise enough however to know who I could trust and who I loved," she added.

"Who, me?" he asked disbelievingly with a dry laugh. 

His ice cold response stung like hell. "Yes you." 

"Ya had a real funny way of showing it, Sweetheart."

"Daryl Hunter Dixon, I NEVER stopped loving you. Even AFTER I was married, believe it or not. I was miserable about leaving. I was only 17 but I knew what I wanted... a future with you. I'd already graduated from high school and was headed to Woodbury College. I knew I was gonna be nurse and a young wife to boot... to YOU. I planned to move out of my uncle's house once I turned 18 that following December so that we could get married and get a little place together off campus. My inheritance annuity money is a little over $4K per month; we certainly wouldn't have been rich, but we would have had enough to live on and get by until we both finished school and got good jobs. That money was protected in trust, regardless of who I dated or married and guaranteed to me, once I was of age and for the rest of my life! Uncle Hershel was in debt, however, Daryl! I'm talking major debt. Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars from a secret gambling habit, a quarter of a million in maxed out credit cards and well over a million in cash from investments into the new racetrack plans and a few other crooked deals he had going on. We didn't know it at the time but Uncle Hershel came very close to going completely bankrupt. He was so close to losing the ranch and my great grandfather's land and over 150 year old family legacy over his desire to get into the horseracing arena, and from associating with organized criminals. We were CLUELESS. Even Aunt Annette was in the dark. He was also in terrible danger! He owed big money to every cut throat gangster and bookie in Atlanta for gambling debts and resorted to selling his shares of the racetrack right back to Antoine Peletier and his crooked business associates to save the land, as well as took out a huge personal loan from Antoine Peletier himself to pay the gangsters off. He then figured that the only way he could possibly get out of having to pay it all back was if our families... the Greene's and the Peletier's... linked up somehow and then he'd be forgiven of the debt and protected if he ever ran into anymore financial trouble. Ed's father, may he rest in peace, had... well lets just say he had a lot of deep connections with organized crime back then... and if you were aligned with him by blood or by marriage it was probable that no one would bother you. My uncle knew that and was betting on it. Despite the debt he owed Mr Peletier they were still on good terms. He needed my help and I felt I had to oblige him; the man had opened up his home to me when I had nowhere else to go."

"The hell? "Daryl exclaimed loudly causing Carol to feel glad that they were in a private booth. Otherwise the whole restaurant would've turned around. "Do you mean to tell me that your uncle forced you to marry Ed Peletier to get himself out of debt with that asshole's father and some goddamned gangsters?" he nearly growled. He was seething with anger for Hershel and for Ed and felt the long suppressed rage over losing her filling up in his chest. He knew the rich could be cruel and unscrupulous about their money but this took the cake. 

"No... not exactly. He didn't force me to marry Ed, but..." She was about to clarify her statement when Daryl cut her off again.

"Then what exactly?" he hissed. "This has been eating at me fer years! I swore I wouldn't bring this up tonight but its now or never! I loved you too much not to know for once and for all! You owe me that much! I loved you so much, Carol. You told me that you loved me too. You made love to me, woman; accepted my ring, then you just dropped me like a bad habit... like everything we had meant nothing, with no real explanation! It nearly KILLED me when you left! I always thought that you would come back... but when I found out you married that asshole just a few months after we were supposed to get hitched ya only drove the knife in deeper! Took me YEARS to get over that... and over you! Now, 16 years later you're back, telling me that your uncle had a hand in it all along! I just knew it! I fuckin' knew it! There had to be more to it than what you told me that night. I always had a bad feeling about it, but you're also saying he didn't 'exactly' make you dump me, nor make you do anything else, including marrying Ed fuckin' Peletier of all people! And I know that fucker mistreated you too. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in the way you talk about yourself and I can even hear it in the way you say his name and I could kill him for it with my bare hands! But even though yer saying ya still loved me, ya still left and ya still married that prick over me so just what in the hell happened exactly that made you marry a man we both know you didnt even like?" Daryl's hands had balled into tight fists and the rage in his eyes mirrored the pain in her own.

Carol felt sick inside. She was just about to speak when at that very moment the lights began flickering in the restaurant and the music playing in the background came to a halt. The thunder and winds from the storm raged outside as a generator kicked on thankfully but the lighting was noticeably dimmer and the music never started back up. During the course of their date, the rain had gotten pretty bad but theyd been so engrossed in each other that they hadnt noticed how bad it was storming and how dark it had suddenly gotten outside; it had been overcast and raining hard off and on all day after all. Just then their waitress came over and knocked quickly then pulled back the privacy curtain shielding their booth. She was carrying a big 'doggie bag' as well as a stack of Styrofoam carry carry out plates, and her face bore a nervous expression. "Pardon me, I'm really sorry to interrupt your meal and conversation folks, but Mr. Dale Horvath, the owner, just made an announcement to the staff that we will be closing immediately due to the current weather report. This afternoon's severe thunder storm watch has been upgraded by the local weather service to a hurricane warning expected to hit within the next hour with severe flash flooding, and unfortunately the King County-Atlanta line area and this section of Dead Walker Road is right in its path. We're evacuating before the area completely loses power in hopes that no one gets stranded or hurt on the premises. Of course we hate to ruin your evening but its been advised that everyone head to their homes or to higher ground and safety as quickly as possible before the low roads flood out. Mr. Horvath is also allowing everyone to take their meals packed to go, on the house."

Daryl glanced outside the looked at Carol. "We best get the hell out of here, Sweetheart. Maybe we can finish this conversation back at my place?"


	12. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl & Carol head to the ranch...

‘I’d love to Daryl but I ought to get home so Sophia doesn’t worry. I just realized that she texted me about the storm,” she said as she hurriedly packed up their food into the carry out plates. 'Hurricane or not however, we still have unfinished business,' she thought to herself; she'd only revealed half of her story to him. She glanced over at him shyly. “Why don’t you just follow me back to the ranch? We’re much closer to there than we are to your place, and parking your truck in one of the empty barns behind the bunkhouse may be safer than leaving both our cars outside your condo building because the ranch sits on a hill. Most of the roads heading into Atlanta may get flooded out.”

Daryl nodded his head in agreement. It was really nasty out; he hadn’t seen rain like that in ages; there was certain to be at least some flooding in the low country area, even if the hurricane didn’t hit as hard as expected. Not to mention, he desperately wanted to continue their conversation; he needed answers, and hoped for once and for all he could get a clear cut explanation for why Carol broke his heart. He then suddenly thought about Sophia as they headed to the exit door with the other patrons evacuating the restaurant. “I’d go with ya in a heartbeat Carol but I just thought about your daughter? I might be stranded all night… she hasn’t ever met me and I don’t wanna make her uncomfortable or get in the way bein’ a bother.”

Carol chuckled. “You’re not a bother! And Sophia spends 90% of her time up at the farm house. If I know my child, she’s there now, surrounded by Shawn’s kids and playing with their dogs and her own. And even if she were at the bunk house, she wouldn’t mind you coming over… I’ve already told her all about you. Besides, we’ve only been using a couple of the bedrooms on the second floor in the bunk house, so there’s plenty of extra space for a guest. I’d feel so much better if you came with me, Daryl. You can sleep in one of the lofts. They’ve been completely renovated… you’ll have all the comforts of home for the night.”

“The lofts,” he reminisced with a smile, thinking of the many nights he and Carol had spent up there cuddling and making out, unbeknownst to her uncle or anyone else. “Alright I’ll come with ya. Thanks. Now let’s get movin’!”

\---------

The wind was whipping at breakneck speeds and the heavy rain was coming down in buckets. Daryl drove ahead, and during the ride to the ranch, he was once again deep in thought and feeling LIVID inside while trying to process what he'd just heard. The news about Hershel Greene's underhanded business dealings and his part in purposely setting Carol up with Ed just to curry favor with the guy’s father had surprised him, but the longer he thought on it, he wasn’t too shocked by any of it. Merle had tried to warn him about the rich and their sometimes unscrupulous behaviors to have their own way, regardless of who they hurt by their actions. He’d always thought that Hershel was an upright, church going man who valued family and demanded respect, and was an upstanding guy because he’d always been a fair boss, and because of how kind he'd been kind to him before he found out that he was interested in Carol, and deep down part of Daryl had felt that Hershel was right; he wasn't good enough for Carol; but now he knew better. He'd tried to calm himself down after his explosive outburst at the dinner table in the restaurant, keeping his rage at bay and simmering just below the surface so he wouldn’t upset Carol further; he could tell that raising his voice in anger had deeply unsettled her and he vowed to himself that it wouldn't let it happen in her presence again if he could help it, particularly since he now knew that she’d already been traumatized enough during her marriage. He was still hurt over her breaking his heart but he was much more angry with the truly guilty party, Hershel and Ed as well as Antoine Peletier, and he knew if he saw either of the two living culprits in his presence any time soon, he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from doing them harm; particularly Ed, who'd violated Carol in the worst way by abusing her during their marriage. 

\------

Meanwhile once in her car, Carol quickly called Sophia and as she suspected she was at the farmhouse having a sleepover with Shawn’s kids. Carol told her that she was having a nice time but that she and Daryl decided to end their date early due to the storm and were headed to the ranch; Daryl would be staying overnight in one of the lofts in the bunkhouse since it was closer than his place, and it was really getting so bad out. Sophia made her promise to call her when she arrived.

During the ride, Carol was deep in thought as well. She was still reeling inside from Daryl’s reaction to her revealing the initial part of what she wanted to tell him. She had hurt him, much deeper than she’d ever suspected, and bringing everything up it was only reopening an old wound but it had to be said, and she knew that what remained to be said may only make things worse but at least she’d finally be free of her guilt in the whole affair and her heart and mind would finally be clear. She knew she’d never fully get over losing him, but at least now they’d be friends, IF he was able to forgive her for what remained of what she had yet to reveal. He was the sweetest man she’d ever known, and it was obvious that he’d cherished her dearly, even in the way he’d gotten soaked to keep her dry when they left the restaurant. When they stepped outside the wind was blowing so hard that her umbrella had blown away, and without a second thought, Daryl had draped his winged jacket over her head and jogged with her over to her car before getting into his truck. That simple act alone reminded her of his kind heart and protective nature and she felt horrible all over again for dumping him so cruelly. She could only hope that he’d forgive her for once and for all once all was revealed, and was grateful for the opportunity to spend a little more time with him before the night was through, which would hopefully give her enough time to lay it all on the line.

 

When they arrived at the ranch, Carol honked the horn as they were passing the farm house and when Daryl stopped, she jumped out to make a quick run inside, and asked Daryl to wait a moment. He kept the engine running and a few minutes later she returned with something folded under her arm, then hopped back inside her car and continued following Daryl to the bunkhouse. They both parked inside the big, abandoned barn behind the bunkhouse and just as they got inside it started raining harder than ever. 

Fortunately the ranch still had power, and Carol immediately began brewing a pot of coffee. She then handed Daryl the bundle she’d gotten from the farm house. “We’ve gotta get you out of those wet clothes, Daryl. I’ll never forgive myself if you catch your death of cold. Head on up and get a hot shower. Fresh towels and washcloths as well as shampoo, soap and an extra toothbrush are in the linen closet at the top of the stairs. Turn the space heater on in whatever loft you choose then slip into these, and I’ll throw your things into the washer and dryer for you. When you come back down you can have some hot coffee and we can continue… chatting...”

“Thanks Carol, but whose clothes are these?” Daryl asked as he peeked inside the bag.

“Shawn’s. I told him you got drenched while helping me get here safely and would be staying the night in the loft, but had no pj’s so he donated a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for you to borrow for the night. You two are both about the same size and height. They should fit just fine.”

Daryl nodded then bit his lip. “Thanks again. And from the looks of it… you’re all wet yourself, Carol,” he murmured, gazing at the outline of her breasts in her dampened white shawl sweater and thin, cotton sundress. “You need to get out of your clothes too.”

Carol blushed. “I’m gonna change in minute but you got the worst of it,” she said shyly, and she couldn’t help noticing the mischievous spark in his eye before he darted up the stairs.


	13. Truths Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol continues her tale...

After showering and changing into his borrowed pj’s, Daryl started a fire in the bunk house den. Carol entered a little while later with the steaming hot pot of coffee on a tray with cream and sugar and 2 mugs, and Daryl couldn’t help noticing that she’d gotten changed as well, into a pair of white cotton pajama shorts, a matching tank and a short kimono robe. He thanked her for the coffee as they got comfortable on opposite ends of the couch while facing the fireplace to warm up and wait out the storm.  


They sipped their coffee in silence as they listened to the howling rain and Daryl couldn’t help staring at Carol’s smooth, bare legs as she curled up on the couch like a cat and tucked her feet under herself. She glanced over at him with a small smile and he suddenly felt an intense desire for her crashing over him yet again. He’d never stopped loving the beautiful, delicate woman before him, and knew he never would. But he still needed answers and knew it was now or never to finally get them.  


“Carol,” he began quietly.  


“Yes?”  


“Please go on… I promise I’ll try not to raise my voice again. I’m not angry with you, but you gotta understand, I’m still really upset about all of this, even after all this time. I’ve been carrying this hurt around inside of me for years with no answers or closure. I loved you so much, but when you left I figured that your uncle convinced you that I just wasn’t good enough for you.”  


“That wasn’t it. I’ll try to explain the best that I can. I hope you’ll understand why I made the decision I made. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was hurt you. But I was so young… so naïve,” she was near tears again.  


“Carol please don’t cry,” he murmured.  


“I never wanted you to look at me differently. I knew you’d be so disappointed if you found out. I swear I never wanted to hurt you… I had to leave,” she began sobbing softly.  


Daryl scooted close to her and draped his strong arm around her shoulders. “Carol, please stop crying, please!” he sounded so sad it was breaking her heart. She glanced up at him with tears in her eyes. He was still so kind, so caring that it was killing her inside that she’d hurt him.  


“Just tell me. I can’t understand any of this. When you left off you said your uncle didn’t force you to marry Ed. You said yourself that you didn’t love him. I know there’s something else you aren’t telling me.”  


Carol sighed. “I need to start at the beginning. As you know I first met Ed about a month or so before graduation.”  


Daryl frowned. “Yeah, I remember when he first started hanging around… just around the time I came back here to work for the season.”  


Carol shook her head. “His father brought him out to the ranch one afternoon to pick out a few of the new spring purebred ponies to train for their race track. I just happened to be at the front desk at the vet office when they came in to pay. I greeted them and made small talk, and Ed’s father commented that I looked to be about his son’s age and that I was a “pretty little thing.” He made me uncomfortable while waiting for my uncle to come in to sign off on the paperwork, but I had to be polite since they were paying customers about to fork over close to fifty thousand dollars for the three horses they’d chosen. I noticed that Ed was staring at me like I was a piece of meat and practically undressing me with his eyes and I was beyond disgusted as he then whispered a lewd comment about my breasts to his father and they both laughed. Before I could tell the jerk that I already had a boyfriend, Uncle Hershel walked in. Before they left Ed invited me to go to dinner with him and when Uncle Hershel sensed my apprehension, he jumped in and invited Ed to join us for supper. He was so insistent about us spending time together after that that I couldn’t say no. Remember, I had to hide our relationship from my uncle and going out with Ed was the perfect cover. I thought I could handle him; besides, Ed always acted the perfect gentleman in my uncle’s presence, and even when we were one on one, while he frequently made lewd passes at me from time to time, he never took it too far… at least not at first.”  


Daryl’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean not at first? I always told you to let me know if he so much as looked at you wrong. You know I would’ve killed the bastard with my bare hands if you’d told me he’d tried anything.”  


“I know, and that’s exactly why I never told you. Then once we got engaged a couple of months later, the last thing I needed was for you to get yourself locked up over the likes of Ed Peletier stealing a kiss or smacking me on the ass, both of which he’d taken a liking to before long. But I thought I could handle Ed and like I said, it was a great cover. My uncle didn’t suspect you and I anymore in the least. As time went on, my uncle began pressuring me to spend more and more time with Ed, constantly inviting him to the house and encouraging me to go to his, repeatedly reminding me about Ed’s family’s fortune and how great a catch he was, and that it was my responsibility to the family business to ensure strong ties with our top investors. I was under a lot of pressure; I didn’t know about his money woes and legal troubles at the time; I had no clue of his ulterior motives concerning hooking me up with Ed. He knew that if Ed remained happy with dating me and things got serious between us that his father would probably be open to doing further business with him. I told you about their race track plans.” She took a sip of her coffee. “As the summer passed it was getting harder and harder to keep Ed off me when we’d go out. It all came to a head when he took me to Savannah Beach,” Carol paused.  


Daryl frowned again. He remembered how incensed he’d been when Carol told him that her uncle insisted that she accompany Ed and a few of his rich, asshole friends from his school on trip to the beach a few weeks before they all went away for college. “Go on, Carol,” he murmured.  


“You know I didn’t want to go, but even my Aunt Annette insisted. Ed’s friends were all stuck up jocks from good families with old money and they were all bringing their girlfriends along. I actually had a good time at first. We had a barbecue on one of Ed’s friend’s parent’s vacation estate’s private beach. But then, they started drinking. We all started drinking.”  


“Carol you never drank alcohol.”  


“I know, and we were all underage. We had no business drinking. But I succumbed to the peer pressure. I thought one beer wouldn’t hurt. I liked it, so I had another, and then was silly enough to have another. I also had some wine and a tequila shot. Before I knew it I was tipsy out of my skull. Then Ed insisted that I try some fruity drink he and the guys had mixed up for all of us girls in the blender. I wasn’t thinking, and everything was hilarious to me at that point so I drank it, and the next thing I knew my head was spinning and I felt hot all over. Before long everybody was making out like crazy. Ed and I included," she admitted sadly.”  


“He slipped you a fuckin' mickey!” Daryl exclaimed. “Ecstasy or some shit!”  


“I think so now but I didn’t know for certain at the time. Couldn't prove it. To his day he’d never admit to it. But all I knew after that was that he was kissing me and feeling me up. It felt good but at the same time I was disgusted when I thought of how much it would hurt you and then I immediately pushed Ed off of me, finally telling him for once and for all that I had a boyfriend and that I wasn’t interested in being anything more than friends with him. He said my mouth was saying one thing but the way my body was responding to his touch was telling him something else. I had enough sense to then ask that he take me home but Ed only laughed and said I was gonna be his before the night was through. He said that he had my uncle’s blessing and he always got what he wanted. He then claimed that he knew all about you, Daryl, and said he could tell we had something going on by the way you always stared at him like you wanted to strangle him whenever he came around, but that he could treat me much better than a broke loser like you could. I told him he didn’t know anything about you, and that you were all that I'd ever need, then demanded that we leave the party. He refused and no one else could take me home because by then everyone was all too tipsy to drive anywhere, and they’d all coupled off in the guest bedrooms upstairs to have sex. I called Ed an asshole and left him standing there grinning at me lewdly in the living room and I think I had locked myself in one of the bathrooms upstairs and dozed off, but the next morning when I woke up, I was in a bed, totally naked with Ed with a wicked hangover and it was obvious that we’d had sex.”  


“What the fuck!” Daryl hissed. He was so LIVID that he saw RED.  


Carol went on. “Apparently he’d gotten inside the bathroom somehow and carried me to one of the guest suites and had his way with me. I was so drunk and out of it I couldn’t remember a thing except for going to the bathroom, and I felt sick when he licked his lips and said how good I’d been in bed, and how I couldn’t possibly love my boyfriend with the way I’d performed the night before. He then congratulated himself on finally banging such a hot chick like me who'd been a cock tease and had played hard to get for so long and said he couldn’t wait until we could do it again. I couldn’t remember anything about what happened but I knew that he’d taken advantage of my drunken state. Ed insisted that I’d wanted him. I called him a liar but he claimed he had the proof; one of his asshole friends, Gareth, had supposedly videotaped the whole thing before he went home. Then another of Ed’s asshole cronies, Phillip Blake, whose parent’s owned the beach house, corroborated the story, saying that he wished he’d met me first by the way I was carrying on on the tape. I was so embarrassed and was scared shitless that anyone, namely you would ever see that videotape, if it existed. I vowed that I’d never forgive myself nor Ed for what he’d done but in my naiveté I felt like it was my own fault for drinking too much and even being there with him in the first place. I had a fiancé that I loved; why was I even there? It didn’t even come to mind that Ed had possibly drugged me. Deep down I felt like it was my own just desserts for leading him on for so long and for not telling him about you in the first place and standing up to my uncle. I knew I couldn’t EVER tell you how I’d betrayed your trust. We were engaged and I’d slept with another guy.”  


“Carol none of that was your fault. He violated you in the worst way. He slipped something into your drink then had sex with you without your consent. He and all of his asshole friends deserve to be behind bars! Whatever that drink concoction they mixed up and gave to all the girls at the party was grounds for felony charges. No statute of limitation on that.”  


“I know that now but I have no proof of it. It’s my word against his. But by then it was too late anyway…” she paused.

“Too late for what, Carol?” Daryl asked, his face a mask of anger.  


“A few weeks later I discovered that my cycle was late; I was pregnant… and I didn’t know if the baby was Ed’s…”  


“Or mine,’ he finished for her, staring intently into her eyes.  


“I did the calculations, and it was super close; you and I had been making love pretty frequently at that point, but then it hit me that you ALWAYS wore condoms and Ed hadn’t used protection. I’d been avoiding him for weeks but I knew then that I had to confront him. I drove to his parent’s estate in Fulton County and laid him out but as soon as I told him about the pregnancy, he immediately informed his parents of my condition, and it wasn’t long before my aunt and uncle were pushing for Ed to marry me and he proposed. I told him in no uncertain terms that I’d never marry him because of my love for you but he threatened to show you the tape, and said you’d never want a whore like me once you found out about what I’d done. I knew he was right and gave in. I felt trapped at that point and knew I had no other options so I agreed to marry him. At least my child would be well provided for the rest of her life. Surprisingly Ed’s parents were gung ho about the idea of a grandchild to spoil, and insisted that I should transfer to the University of Alabama, on their dime to be near Ed when school started. My uncle congratulated me on my fine catch, but when I told him that I didn’t really want to marry Ed despite having a child on the way, he put me through the whole guilt trip about how I ought to be ashamed of myself for wanting to be an unwed teen mother, how my parents would be rolling in their graves if they knew how I’d behaved and that he knew about us because he’d seen our prom picture in my bedroom. He threatened to destroy your future if you pursued me, and then he hit me with all of his money woes, his trouble with the Atlanta gangsters, and how the family ranch was in danger of being lost to bankruptcy if he couldn’t make a deal with Antoine Peletier and that he desperately needed my help to join our families. He didn’t force me but I felt compelled to go through with it all the same. That is why I broke up with you Daryl, not because I ever stopped loving you. I married Ed to save my family’s business and for my child to have both her parents in her life which was something I’d lost. Then when Ed got me away from everyone he knew I didn’t love him so he punished me for it. Years later he informed me that there was no tape, and tortured me by saying that he and I both knew I’d wanted him that night but due to my drunken state I never could remember for certain. I fell into a deep depression, the only thing that kept me going was my beautiful baby, Sophia. Ed treated me terribly and taunted me with that whole sordid story for years. On the outside I was the trophy wife of a casino and racetrack executive, but behind closed doors he tried to crush my spirit, and he nearly succeeded. He verbally then physically abused me, controlled my income and my every move as well as openly cheated on me for years; I was humiliated, and the laughing stock of our circle of ‘friends’ wherever we moved. The only good thing about him was that he was a doting father but Sophia has no respect for him after discovering how he treated me over the years because I hid the abuse so well. I finally got away from him though and I feel better than I have in as long as I can remember. As soon as I was strong enough to finally get in touch with you to tell you everything, I called you. Daryl I’m so sorry!” she burst into tears, prepared for his rejection but surprisingly it never came. “Please forgive me.”  


Daryl hugged her tightly and dried her tears. “There’s nothing to be sorry for Carol. I should’ve known something was going on, should’ve fought harder for you,” he whispered as he held her in his arms. "ANd kicked Ed's ass. Never stopped loving you either. Still do, woman,” he admitted. “But now I gotta know. Is there any chance in hell that Sophia might be mine?”


	14. Flames Ignite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old feelings resurface as Carol and Daryl rediscover what they'd lost...

Carol swallowed and blinked up at him through her teary eyes. “Oh Daryl,” she sighed. “I don’t think so. But…”

Daryl looked into her eyes. "Did you ever get a paternity test?"

"No,” she admitted. “That’s why I’m so sick about this. I was so scared of you even finding out I’d slept with Ed I jumped the gun. We never got the test because Ed automatically assumed the baby was his, or he simply WANTED it to be his. He knew about us however so deep down I don't think he cared to know the truth one way or the other because he simply wanted what he wanted at the time- to possess me. Surprisingly his parent's never requested one either, they just took Ed's word for it that the child was his. I wished with all my might that she was yours but after I'd done the calculations I really believed that she probably was Ed's because of the timing and because he hadn't used protection. You and I always used condoms.”

“Cared about ya too much not to protect ya, every time. I wanted you to have my babies but I definitely didn’t wanna saddle ya down too soon; you wanted to do nursin’ school, we were only 17 and 18.” 

“I know and I loved you for that, but I made the decision to leave because I never wanted you or anyone else to find out about that tape. I never told Ed of my deepest concerns about the baby's true paternity because as time went on, he got meaner and meaner, and if' I'd so much as mentioned you he would have made me pay. Besides when Soph was born she had that pale blonde hair like all of the women in Ed's family, and his whole family all fell in love with her, especially Ed’s father. Spoiled and doted on her like you wouldn’t believe. He left her so much money in his will."

Daryl cut her off. "You said she was blonde? I was blonde when I was a kid too, Carol. Really light. You wouldn’t believe it looking at me now but it was damn near platinum. And you haven't gotten to meet her, yet, but my mother was a natural blonde when she was a young woman. She's gone gray now of course but in her day she had ash blonde hair too."

"Sophia also had Ed's pale gray eyes when she was born. But they change sometimes with the seasons or by her moods; they show some green as well. An odd, yet beautiful shade... almost olive; she gets compliments on them all the time. Ed always said he didn't know where the hell they came from. Everyone in his family has either gray or brown eyes. And aside from Maggie’s hazel eyes the rest of our entire family has blue eyes."

Daryl stared at her intently. "My Ma's eyes are green, Carol. Merle and I both got the baby blues from our Pa, but our Ma's peepers are olive green. They're gorgeous. Never seen nothin' like 'em. If your daughter has both ash blonde hair and olive green eyes, she sounds like the spittin’ image of my mother as a young woman. Let me get another look at her.”

Carol fetched her cell from her purse and pulled up the photo gallery yet again.  


Daryl looked hard; expanding the screen and examining the photos much more closely than he had initially and did a double take upon closer inspection, particularly of the more recent photos. “Oh my God,” he gasped, staring at one picture in particular. “Why couldn’t I see this earlier?” Sophia looked EXACTLY like pictures he’d seen of his mother when she was young and he grew a bit teary eyed with emotion.

Carol stared at him in shock when it hit her. “Oh my God, what have I done? Daryl, if she’s yours..."

He took her hand in his. "It’s too soon to know for sure, but I for damn sure think we ought to get that test done as soon as possible."

"I'll never forgive myself if she's yours, Daryl!” she sobbed. "I'd hate to think I kept our child from you too on top of everything else I've done!" 

"I already told you woman, I ain’t mad at you! You were only 17 with the weight of guilt, and pressure on your shoulders. I was hurt but have moved on. There’s nothing to forgive. Nothing to do but move forward, together. I'm just hoping that Sophia will accept me if she's mine."" 

"Sophia has a heart of gold, Daryl. She’s so mature and understanding but Ed’s all she knows! How am I gonna tell her this news, and ask her to get a blood test that may turn her whole world upside down?”

“She’ll understand. You told me yourself she has no respect for Ed for how he treated you.”

“That’s true… and I'm sure she'll forgive me; I just never wanted to ever have to put her through anything like this. But now it’s Ed I’m worried about. If Sophia’s yours he’s gonna go ballistic! He was humiliated by our divorce; I dragged his name through the mud and took him to the cleaners for alimony and child support. But he gave in, if only for Sophia’s sake… but if it turns out she isnt his; he’s gonna sue the pants off me! Her name, her inheritances from her grandfather, the child support... Oh my God if she’s yours... Ed's gonna lose it... There’s millions of dollars at stake. He’s gonna come huntin’ me down," she began shaking with fear as she cried.

"Carol please!" he murmured, hugging her tightly and drying her tears. "Ed isn't gonna do a damn thing to ya! Ever! Everything's gonna be okay. All of this has happened for a reason, and in the time it was supposed to. If she's mine, you know I'll do right by her and by you. Don't worry about anything. Not the money and certainly not Ed’s ass. He's NEVER gonna hurt you again. I promise you that. Gonna protect ya from him this time if it’s the last thing I do. Fate has brought us back together again, I'm not losing you twice. We got a second shot. . I know it’s soon, but if you’ll have me I’d like us to try again, and if Sophia is mine, and if she’ll have me too, I’d like to be a family. We can take it slow as you want but I have to say how I feel. Too much time’s been wasted. Like I said before I never stopped loving you, woman. Damn sure ain’t gonna stop now." 

She looked into the eyes of the man she’d loved since she was 17. His kind, honest face hadn’t changed one bit. Carol was overcome with emotion. She felt the years of sadness, worry and depression melting away in Daryl’s strong embrace. “Oh Daryl, I never stopped loving you either,” she whispered. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry.” He shushed her and leaned in, stealing a quick peck from her lips, something he’d always done when they dated years prior and she burst into laughter. He smirked at her and winked and she smiled as she then took his face in her hands and leaned in close. There was nothing left to do except kiss the lips she’d been dreaming of. It was like a dream come true as his lips parted for her tongue and they both moaned loudly as they began tongue kissing passionately. Daryl immediately took control of the kiss, plundering her mouth again and again and Carol moaned, overcome with passion and emotion. Tears of happiness fell from her eyes as they kissed and kissed until they were both breathless.

 

“I want you so much, Carol,” he murmured, unable to hold back as he then attacked her neck with hot, sucking kisses, making her gasp. He boldly caressed her breasts through ther thin tank and feeling her stiff nipples made him moan. “I want you too, please, take me,” she murmured into his ear as he then stood and picked her up in his strong arms and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. 

Once inside they separated long enough for Carol to light a candle. He then pulled her to him and quickly stripped and then undressed her as well, kissing every inch of skin he exposed. They then collapsed into her bed in a tangle of arms and legs. 

They were both eager and impatient to kiss and intimately touch each other again. It had been so long, and despite the short time since they’d been reunited their passion couldn’t be denied a second longer. The storm raging outside the loft window seemed to mirror the passion flowing between them, it was reckless, a little dangerous and explosive in its intensity. 

Daryl was ravenous as he eagerly kissed and caressed Carol’s body from head to toe. He reverently worshiped every inch of her heated flesh, paying special attention to her sensitive breasts as he kissed and nursed at them adoringly then after moving down to her belly with more kisses, he finally reached his long awaited destination between her thighs, making her cry out as he orally pleasured her most sensitive spot. Carol was in ecstasy; it had been so long since she’d felt such passion. Sex with Ed had been mundane at best and every sensual tongue kiss Daryl lavished on her wiped her ex further and further from her mind. 

Daryl reveled in her pleasure; he didn’t realize how much he’d missed going down on her until he was lucky enough to do it again and he wasn’t planning on stopping any time soon, or ever again for that matter as long as she’d let him. He’d always enjoyed giving her pleasure in this way because she’d always made it clear just how much she’d loved it; nothing was quite so intimate. It was obvious that he’d improved with time in the way she responded to him; he was ravenous for her; he just couldn’t get enough, and before long she was eager to return the favor, and they soon pleasured one another in the most intimate positon. Before long he climbed over her and Carol wrapped her arms around his neck as he settled between her legs. Within seconds they became one, kissing and whispering their undying love to one another as their bodies joined again and again. Daryl couldn’t help his loud moans of pleasure as he stroked deep inside her soaked core, re-learning her body and claiming her as his own all over again. 

Carol felt faint from Daryl’s passionate onslaught. His every touch, kiss, stroke and caress burned with his desire and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt complete. He filled her completely, his thick, length made her moan and shiver with unbridled lust and love for him as he caressed the deepest part of her core, filling her with long overdue pleasure as he thrusted away inside her again and again while his words of love touched her heart. 

Their passionate lovemaking went on and on, Carol losing count of the times she climaxed in his arms, and Daryl making sure that she was satisfied in every way before finally taking his own pleasure. It was so long overdue and she had felt so good he couldn’t hold back, moaning her name as he exploded deep inside her again and again. Afterwards they were exhausted, and they immediately fell into a deep, sated sleep, as the storm continued deep into the night, and woke early the next morning, tangled up tightly in each other’s arms, both feeling more content than either of them could remember.


	15. Sunday Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun shines again...

Daryl woke before Carol, and the first thing he noticed was that the sun was just coming up; the second thing he noticed was that it had finally stopped raining and the third thing he noticed was that he felt aroused all over again due to Carol’s warm soft body pressing deliciously against his own. Last night they’d made love until they were exhausted, and the heated memory of it only made him want more. He glanced down at her petite yet curvy, nude form where she lay curled up against him with her head nestled on his chest and the sight of her bare breasts made him groan low in his throat as he thought about how he’d made her moan as he’d kissed and suckled them the night before. His heart swelled with his newly awakened love for her; he finally had his Carol back and everything she’d shared with him in the past 24 hours only made him want to cherish and protect her more. He placed a soft kiss onto her forehead as he laid there a few minutes more before she finally stretched a bit and then let out a yawn. 

“Good morning,” she whispered with a shy smile.

“Mornin,” he murmured with a naughty smirk as he ran his fingertip across her nipple, making her squirm and whimper. They shared a fevered kiss and suddenly Daryl stared down at her with unbridled lust yet again. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready fer round two… Care to join me?” he asked with a sly grin as he rolled her onto her back and settled between her legs.

“Oh Daryl… Yes!” she gasped as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and buried her face in his neck. As soon as he had her permission he pushed his manhood back deep inside her soaked core, making her cry out from the intense pleasure. She was so wet for him as he worked his length in and out and she moaned loud and long from the multiple orgasms she was soon experiencing all over again. Daryl made her feel like a new woman with every thrust and she couldn’t get over the feelings of joy he gave her as they made love again. Before long she was on top, taking her pleasure as they rocked together until they were sated, then once they’d both recuperated from their early morning workout, the sun was up, the birds were singing and it was time to get up and face the day.

“I wish I could stay like this in bed with you all day,” Carol groaned into his neck. "Its still so hot between us... I just want more and more!"

Daryl kissed her again. He just couldn’t get enough of her. “Me too… we got a hell of lot of time to make up for, woman,” he murmured before licking a hot trail from her neck to her breast before capturing a nipple back between his lips.

Carol moaned from the pleasurable sensation of him greedily sucking on one nipple before going to the other. She knew that if she didn’t stop him they’d be going at it yet again so she playfully nudged him away. “You sir have a wedding to attend and I have a daughter who may be here any minute! Sophia is probably gonna be down here soon if she doesn’t have breakfast at the farm house. You know I’d like for you to meet her but…”

“Not quite like this,” he finished for her with a smirk, referring to her their bare, sweaty, entangled forms on her bed. 

“Exactly!” she giggled. “Let’s get dressed so we’ll be presentable at least. Oh and I washed your wet clothes last night. They’re in the dryer.”

“Thanks, Sweetheart.”

They both got showered and dressed and Carol had just finished making them a country breakfast of coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, grits, eggs, bacon and drop biscuits when Sophia came bounding in.

“Ma, I’m home!” Sophia called out cheerfully while texting someone on her cell phone. 

“Hey baby!” Carol replied. “Have some breakfast?”

“I sure will! Have you looked outside? It’s absolutely gorgeous out! Cousin Shawn said there was no structural damage to any of the barns due to the storm and the horses are all okay… Oh I’m sorry!” she then exclaimed when she finally glanced up and saw Carol serving breakfast to Daryl at the table. “Mom, I didn’t realize that your company was still here.”

“Its ok! Soph, this is Daryl Dixon, my dear old friend that I was telling you about.”

“Yes… good morning, Mr. Dixon, sir,” she said to Daryl with a shy smile. “Thanks so much for getting Mom home safe last night in the storm.”

The moment Daryl laid eyes on Sophia he instinctively knew that she was his. “His heart swelled with pride as he looked at what a fine job Carol had done at raising her. “It was my pleasure, Darlin’... and none of that Mr. Dixon, sir stuff… er… call me Daryl,” he said with a smile, shaking her hand and immediately putting her at ease.

“Okay, Daryl,” she said with a smile, then joined them at the table.

They ate and exchanged pleasantries and got acquainted a bit and before long Sophia exclaimed. “Mom you’ll never guess what happened! Carl Grimes and I talked half th e night during the storm and before we hung up he invited me out!”

“Already! That’s great, honey! Where does he want to take you?”

“His dad’s a groomsman in a family friend’s wedding this afternoon and Carl invited me to the reception. He said it’s gonna be a lot of good food and a band and other kids there. Can I go, please?”

“Of course. I’ll help you pick out a dress.”

“I don’t mean to pry… but you did say Carl Grimes’ right?” Daryl asked.

“Yes sir… I mean yes, Daryl,” Sophia chuckled.

“I know his father well. Rick Grimes. And that’s the same wedding I’m in this afternoon! And your mama’s gonna need your help picking out a dress too,” he added with a wink.

“What do you mean Daryl?” Carol asked, surprised. “Carl didn’t invite me to the reception and I doubt they'll need a chaperone!” she chuckled.

“No… but I’m inviting you to be my ‘plus one’ at the ceremony and the reception. We never got to enjoy our dinner last night, so I still owe you a date! I have to get there early for the pictures and such, but can you be at Father Gabriel’s church by two?”

“I’ll be there with bells on,” Carol replied happily.


	16. Happiness Prevails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending for a most deserving couple... and just desserts for Ed!

Daryl was on a tight schedule that morning so he knew he had to leave out as soon as they finished breakfast but the goodbye kiss he gave Carol held the promise of many more to come. She let him know that she and Sophia would be at the ceremony and would meet up with him afterward for the reception.

Once outside, Daryl was amazed at how beautiful it was. It was a glorious Sunday morning. The hard rain of the previous day was a mere afterthought in the Georgia sunshine and there was no sign of flooding on the road home. He felt like a million bucks as he drove home, whistling to himself while thinking about his passion filled night with Carol (and repeat performance that morning) as they renewed their long lost vow of love to one another and made the decision to start their relationship anew. He was also a bit scared as well as happy and excited about building a relationship with Sophia as well; he KNEW In his heart that she was his, but he understood that there was a long, slow road ahead but he couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them as a family. The only thing Daryl wasn’t worried about was Ed Peletier. Daryl had already made it up in his mind that if that asshole popped up anywhere near his woman or his daughter and tried to give them ANY TROUBLE WHATSOEVER, he was fully prepared to handle that prick with the business end of his CROSSBOW! 

When he arrived at home Cherokee was happy to see him as usual as well as impatient to get outdoors. He fed his friend then took him for a short walk at the dog park, letting him run wild before heading back home to get showered and dressed for the wedding.

Daryl was the last of the bridal party to arrive at the church at noon on the nose. The women in the party, made up of a dozen or so of T-Dog’s and the bride’s sisters and cousins as well as a few close female friends of both families all let out loud whistles when he entered with his new haircut in his tailored white tuxedo, and he blushed as he tugged at the uncomfortable, starched stiff collar of his shirt. 

They took over a hundred or so pictures it seemed in various groupings and arrangements and before long it was time for the ceremony to begin. Just before they had to go into the chapel, Daryl pulled T-Dog to the side, shook his hand and thanked him. 

“Thanks for what, man?” T-Dog laughed with a puzzled expression.

“For the advice.”

“What advice, Dixon?”

“You’ll see later on brother,” Daryl said with a wink as they were then directed to walk down the aisle. 

The ceremony was beautiful and when Father Gabriel told T-Dog that he could kiss his new bride, Rosita, the two lovebirds tongued each other down so long that that wedding guests exploded into enthusiastic cheering and whistles. Finally Merle shouted out from his seat in the rear of the church that they should “Get a room!” 

“We got one!” T-Dog exclaimed with a laugh. “We’re spending tonight down at the Alexandria Hotel at the airport after the reception!” then resumed kissing his wife without regard for anything else.

When they finally came up for air, Rosita shouted “Make that two rooms! We also have an oceanfront suite in Acapulco, Mexico where we’ll be spending our honeymoon!”

“Make that three!” T-Dog’s father, Theodore Douglas Sr., then exclaimed from the front row on the groom’s side. “My wife and I wanted it to be a big surprise, but we’re buying you two a house as a wedding gift!” Both T-Dog’s and Rosita’s mouths gaped in shock as they ran over to his parents, jumping up and down and hugging them from the excitement and in thanks as the whole crowd went wild.  
\-------  
The reception was held at the Alexandria Hotel in downtown Atlanta, and the grand ballroom and its adjoining dining hall were decorated in white satin with rose blossoms everywhere. Sophia left Carol to go sit with Carl and the other teenaged kids whose parents were friends and relatives of the new couple, and Carol was waiting by herself at an unoccupied, numbered table. She was prepared to move whenever the assigned occupants got there but she had no clue of where she was supposed to sit yet. She was Daryl’s ‘Plus One’ date but he was in the bridal party (which had only just arrived and were already taking more pictures in the lobby by the spiral staircase and crystal waterfall before being announced and seated) but Carol doubted if she was supposed to sit with Daryl if he had to sit up at the head table. 

She discreetly checked her reflection in her makeup mirror and was pleased with what she saw. She was still highly self-conscious and somewhat critical of her appearance after years of Ed’s criticism but Daryl’s reassurances and affectionate attention to her the night before and again that morning had worked wonders for her self-esteem and confidence already. Sophia had done her makeup with care, and she’d dressed for him in a new, flattering peach silk, knee length dress, a gold purse and a matching pair of gold, high heeled sandals that showed off her pedicure. She was so overjoyed that he still wanted her and still loved her that she wanted to look her best and was surprised to get more than a few admiring looks from several men at the wedding.

Just then Carol was startled by a loud, raspy voice. “Well, well… looky looky at what the cat dragged in!” Merle exclaimed with a severely critical smirk in his signature Georgia drawl. Apparently the table where Carol decided to wait held Merle and his wife Andrea’s assigned seats. Carol glanced up at him sheepishly. She remembered that Merle hadn’t been too excited about Daryl wanting to marry her in the past, and knew he’d given Daryl the blues about it when she’d left. But Merle surprised her he held out his arms to her. “I knew you and my little brother would get back together ‘fore long, but I didn’t think it would be this damn fast! That Darylina’s a chip off the old block! Give Ole Merle a hug!” Carol couldn’t help laughing at him as she hugged him. “You remember Sugartits don’t ya?” he asked, chuckling as Andrea smacked his arm. 

“Shut up, Merle!” Andrea hissed under her breath as she playfully smacked his arm. “Good seeing you again Carol!” 

“You too Andrea!” Carol laughed, hugging her as well.  
“I think Darylina has to sit up front, but you’re welcome to sit here with us in the meantime,” Merle offered and Carol accepted happily with a big smile.

The bridal party was announced and seated then waiters and hostesses circulated around the room serving hors d’oeuvres and glasses of champagne and before long dinner was served; a huge, six course traditional Mexican wedding feast in honor of the bride’s family heritage. Daryl was seated at the head table with the bridal party, but all through dinner he hadn’t taken his eyes off of his beautiful Carol, and was pleasantly surprised to see her sitting with Merle and Andrea and a few other members of Dixon Autos’ staff, and he knew that Merle had probably already introduced her to everyone as his girl, saving him the trouble of doing it himself over time, but later on in the evening he made it a point to personally introduce T-Dog to her, and he laughed heartily as T-Dog gave Carol a big hug and told her he felt like he known her for years, then wished them every happiness for getting back together and reminded Daryl that it was indeed never too late for love.

The bride and groom then cut their 10 tiered white chocolate wedding cake then danced their first dance to Stevie Wonder’s classic hit ‘Ribbon In The Sky.” Afterward Daryl immediately went over to Carol and after a long kiss in front of everyone, took her into his arms so that they could dance the night away. 

Awhile after the gifts presentation, it was time for T-Dog and Rosita to retire to their room upstairs to get a head start on their honeymoon. When she threw the bouquet Carol caught it, and when T-Dog threw Rosita’s garter, no one was surprised when Daryl caught it and the crowd went wild. One look between them told everyone else what they already knew… just like the newlyweds, their ‘second chance at forever’ was just beginning.

-Finis (but... theres more! keep reading!) 

Epilogue: Over the following year, A LOT happened! Carol found an apartment, and a got a great position as a geriatric nurse at Grady Hospital. Sophia started classes at Alexandria Prep, took a part time job at her cousin Maggie & her husband Glenn’s vet clinic in the city and started going steady with Carl Grimes. Carol and Daryl began seeing each other exclusively and within six months were once again engaged to be married. It wasn’t easy but they worked through all of their past issues one day at a time, because they were determined to be together and make it work. Carol explained everything to Sophia over time and she was surprised but agreed to get a blood test with Daryl to determine if he was her father. It was confirmed that she was indeed his daughter, and both she and Daryl were more than happy about it. She’d gotten to know him well, and highly respected Daryl as well for how happy he’d made her mom and soon loved him dearly for how he’d accepted her with no questions asked. 

Carol knew that she had to notify Ed of their plans to have Sophia’s last name changed to Sophia Marie Dixon, and as expected Ed acted like an uncivilized ape when he received the news. He immediately began harassing Carol, delivering vile threats of physically harming her for deceiving him for all those years about Sophia’s paternity. Daryl threatened to kill him if he so much as looked at Carol or Sophia wrong and Ed backed off. He was a coward and a bully, all bark and no bite; and his cowardly nature was truly revealed when his opponent was a man and not a defenseless woman. Daryl put the fear of death in him so he didn’t contact Carol again personally… the punk had his lawyer warn her of his plans to have Sophia’s child support order revoked, as well as his plans to sue Carol personally for defamation of character during their divorce. He also demanded that she repay him for all of his past child support payments, and worst of all threatened to have Sophia removed from his own father’s will, but thankfully none of it ever happened. 

Carol didn’t have to pay back a dime and Sophia got to keep every penny of her multi-million dollar inheritance from Antoine Peletier after all because Ed was soon arrested on federal charges of tax fraud and for participating in a RICO (Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization.) He was also charged with running a secret prostitution ring and charged with money laundering and illegal gambling practices through his casinos and racetracks around the south totaling tens of millions of dollars, and was facing no less than 40 years in jail for his white collar crimes, and suing Carol for the pittance he’d paid in child support and worrying about Sophia’s inheritance from his dad were the least of his worries. His new wife up and left him and spent up what remained of his fortune after the FBI and Uncle Sam took the bulk of the cut, his family and friend all turned on him and he was doomed to spend the rest of his sad, bitter days alone rotting in a jail cell!

Carol and Daryl married in a small but beautiful ceremony not long after that fiasco was resolved and she surprised him with the news that she was expecting... twins! They’d have their three babies (including their first born Sophia of course) and their happy life together, after all.

Finis  
;)


	17. Epilogue: The Dixons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief follow up...

A few years later...  
Daryl and Carol are still in a deeply passionate and loving marriage. She remained working part time at Grady Hospital, and Daryl continued running the garage with his brother. They had to eventually buy a much larger house however to accommodate their adorable, rambunctious and rapidly growing identical twin sons, Cross and Beau (who were the spitting image of their father) and were set to start kindergarten in a few months but already very active in swimming, soccer and other activities amd not to mention their dog Cherokee AND the two ponies they got on their 5th birthday as gifts from their Cousin Shawn. They also needed the house to have a bedroom for Sophia to crash in during her holiday and summer breaks home from college (she'd decided follow in her mother's footsteps by pursuing a career in nursing, and only had one more year to go at Woodbury College. She was still dating Carl Grimes (who'd followed in his father's footsteps and attended the police academy after completing community college), and it was pretty obvious to everyone that he was crazy about Sophia and would probably propose before long...  
Finis


End file.
